Blood Lies
by TheRavynFire
Summary: Sequel to Blood Thoughts. Chase Morgan is trying to deal with all the changes in her life which include a new ability she cant quite control, a certain viking vampire she's fallen for, and a family secret that changes everything she feels about herself.
1. Changes

**A/N: Hey guys! I have returned with a sequel to Blood Thoughts as demanded :]. I figured I couldn't keep you guys waiting. This first chapter is just a prologue that picks up right where Blood Thoughts left off *If you haven't read it, you should otherwise this won't make sense although I will recap a few things*. The next chapter-which will be chapter 1-will pick up two weeks later and follow the same time line as Season Two of True blood. Anyway R&R and enjoy! :] *Oh and this chapter is super short but I will post the next chapter later today***

Summary: Sequel to Blood Thoughts. Chase Morgan is trying to deal with all the changes in her life which include a new ability she cant quite control, a certain viking vampire she's fallen for, and a family secret that changes everything she feels about herself. Eric/OC. Rated M for mature content.

Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood or any of its characters. I am merely borrowing them and I do plan on returning them…except maybe the tall blonde sheriff…Chase Morgan and a few others do belong to me.

***Also I have decided to start referring to Chase's adoptive parents by name and not just "my mother" and "my father" and their names are Mary and Christopher *just to recap* so yeah just a heads up.

Prologue: Changes

"_It's because you were adopted, Chase."_

My face fell. Shock hit me like a bullet to the back, shattering the very world around me. My stomach churned and I felt myself lean backward until my body hit the counter, which was the only thing that kept me on my feet. My hand came toward my chest, resting against it so I could feel my heart thudding rapidly against it.

"Adopted?" The word burned my tongue like hot sauce. "What the hell do you mean I am_ adopted_?"

My mother, Mary, nodded gravely, shame written across her face like a neon sign directing me toward all her lies. "Yes, honey…Chase, let me explain," she started reaching for me.

My hands went up immediately, making her halt as my breath started to come out in heavy pants. I didn't understand how this was possible. My entire life had been a lie, every single minute of it and my parents had been the founders of said lie. I felt the energy swell in my stomach, making my blood boil as it slowly began to consume me. I felt like I was about to hyperventilate. I shut my eyes, trying to calm myself as the energy threatened to take me over. I had to calm down before something I would regret happened. But as I took deep breaths I couldn't stop the sick feelings of betrayal that rushed me.

"Chase?" Mary's voice sounded frightened and panicked.

I couldn't resist opening my eyes to see what was making her sound this way and gasped when I saw everything that was not bolted down by something, floating in midair around me. Mary had shock written all over her face as her wide brown eyes scanned the items. I looked around in awe. _Is this me? Am I doing this?_ My fists unclenched and everything that had been suspended in air dropped back down to its rightful place with various sounds of it making contact with the counter or floor, making me jump.

Mary's eyes fell on me and for the first time in a long time she looked absolutely terrified of me. The last time I had seen her this way was when I first told her about what I could do with my telepathy at the age of six. She hadn't believed me until I took her hand and read every thought, emotion, and secret going through her head aloud. I had felt bad about what I could do back then and how afraid everyone became of me. I had felt like a freak even at the age of the six. I didn't feel bad this time though. This was all her fault.

"All these years," I said through clenched teeth as I looked at her. "You knew that I had questions about myself. You knew that I thought I was some kind of freak. You and Dad have been lying to me."

She shook her head violently, her smooth face wrinkling with desperation as she reached for me again. "Chase, honey, I only wanted what was best for you," she breathed. "I wanted you to have a normal life. I didn't want you to know where you came from. I wanted you to be happy."

"Where I came from?" I spat angrily. "It would have been better to know that I was adopted rather than grow up questioning myself! I could have found my real family a long time ago and gotten some answers to the questions that I have been asking myself since I was a kid!"

She looked apologetic, ashamed, and horrified all at once. "Chase," she started again taking my arm. "I am sorry, honey. I never wanted you to know. You were my little girl, mine and mine alone."

"That is not the point, mom! I feel like I don't even know myself anymore. Everything about me has been a lie…Every story you told me about me being a child and your pregnancy with me and everything it's all a lie…you….dad….Is Isaac adopted too?"

Mary faltered, the shame on her face practically glowing. "No, honey…Isaac is our biological son."

My face fell and I growled in frustration as I stormed from the kitchen, walking into my bedroom. The door slammed shut behind me without my even touching it, making me jump. It was just like when I had gone into Eric's office the night after I was attacked and I had caught him feeding on a girl. The door had shut without my touching it then as well. This power had manifested in me far before I had even realized it. The energy was still boiling within me and I felt like my blood had turned to lava. I didn't know what to think or how to feel or even how to act. Somewhere out there were my real parents who knew who or what I really was and what exactly was happening to me.

There was a soft knock on my door. "Chase? Please…can we just sit down and talk about this?"

I ignored her voice and walked to my closet, pulling out one of my duffel bags. I began yanking my clothes from their hangers and shoving them inside as Mary continued to knock. I had to leave. I had to get out the house before I exploded. I just wanted to be alone. With no one around to lie to me anymore.

I finished gathering my things and looked under my bed for the stash of cash that I had saved. I didn't trust banks. I counted it and found that I had a little over four hundred dollars which would last me a little while. Sam said that I could return to work whenever I wanted and honestly I wasn't sure if I did want to go back. I felt as if I had lost my identity. I had no idea who I was anymore.

I pulled my coat on and grabbed my car keys before pulling my bedroom door open to see my mom still standing on the other side. Her eyes dropped to the duffel hanging from my shoulder and then to my cars keys clutched between my fingers.

"Chase, where are you going?"

"I need time to think," I answered blankly, moving past her.

She followed behind me, her steps quick and urgent. "Chase, please let's just sit down and discuss this," she said anxiously. "You are still injured and I don't think you should be driving right now, especially not when you are so emotional."

I disregarded her words, nearing the front door. It swung open before I could even reach for it making both me and Mary jump. I had to get a hold on this ability before I hurt someone I didn't mean too. I moved through the open doorway and headed for my car, hearing Mary's footsteps behind me after she recovered. She reached me as I pulled my car door open and slid in.

"Chase, please, I am begging you," she pleaded. "Don't go."

I didn't look at her. I couldn't.

"I can't stay here," I said putting my key in the ignition.

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know."

"When will you come back?"

"I may not."

I slammed the car door shut, fully aware that I had almost hit her. I turned the key and the engine rumbled to life around me. I pulled the gear into reverse and hit the gas, screeching out of my driveway, before spinning the car around and switching it to drive. I couldn't look back as I sped down the road away from my house, knowing that I would cave in and turn back around if I saw Mary's pain filled face in my rear view mirror.

This wasn't like me at all. I was not the type of person to act out and be angry. I had always been calm and collected, Chase, but now I was finding out every day that I was changing, and I had to know why.


	2. Reunited

A/N: Hey guys! I am going to try and update every day if my muse is well fed and in turn feeds me so that I may write. Let me know if this chapter pleases you. And also I am currently searching for a beta for this story so if you are one _or_ if you know of a good one feel free to send me a PM and make a suggestion. Thanks again! Don't forget to review to feed my muse.

**Chapter One: Reunited**

_Two Weeks Later…._

_**Welcome to Bon Temps**_

I hadn't seen that welcome sign in over two weeks. I hadn't missed it, but once I passed by it reminded me that I was finally back home. The sun was shining brightly over head as I drove my mustang down the main road, catching sight of the natives doing their daily business. It felt as if I had been gone for months, and I noticed that not one thing had changed about the town. I liked that. It felt good to be home.

I had been living in a hotel in Bossier City which wasn't too far from Shreveport. My cell phone had been off the entire time and I had been living off cash only, which made me virtually untraceable to my mom and brother. I didn't want to speak to either of them until I had gotten my head straight and figured out what I was going to do. I felt bad for just leaving Sookie without saying goodbye or squaring things off with Jason, and not letting Sam know I was leaving town-and leaving him one waitress short-but at the time it hadn't seemed important as me getting away. And that had felt good too, to just be by myself.

I hadn't heard from or seen Eric either which both hurt and confused me. I knew even though Mary and my brother and Sookie wouldn't be able to find me, he would. He could sense me because of the blood bond, and I thought that he would come to find me, but he hadn't. I had laid awake night after night for the first week waiting for him, only to doze off and wake up the next morning with no sign on him. I hadn't even had any sex charged dreams about him like I normally did. I had considered calling Fangtasia to speak with him and find out if he was angry that I had left without saying anything to him, but never got the courage. I made up my mind and decided that If he didn't want to come and find me then obviously he had gone back to his old vampire ways and stopped caring about a _mere human_ like myself.

I had spent some of my time in Bossier City trying to figure out who my real parents were and where I might have come from. I had also researched my telepathy and tried to get a hold on my telekinesis; trying to manifest it without having to be in danger or feeling strong emotion. I hadn't found much success with it, I couldn't even move a spoon off of the dresser and after trying for several hours straight I had given up. I couldn't find out anything about my real parents or where my parents had even adopted me from which was the only thing that spurred me into coming back home to Bon Temps. I had to get answers from the source and try to continue on with some sort of semblance of a life. I would just have to accept the changes that had been coming into my life and try to deal with them.

I decided to stop by Merlotte's to talk to Sam about getting my job back before going home. When I stepped into the building I was surprised to see the place was pretty much empty. Sam and Tara were standing inside the bar while Sookie and Arlene sat on the other side watching the television screen. All eyes turned to me immediately and surprise was written over all their faces. Sookie was out of her seat first and then Sam was rushing around the bar with Tara following closely behind. Sookie reached me first and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly to her body. I returned the embrace. I hadn't seen her or Sam since we fought Renee.

"Chase, where the hell have you been?" she asked pulling back to look me in the eye.

"Yeah, between you and Lafayette missing I am way understaffed," Sam said. I could hear the hint of a joke in his statement, but I could tell he was serious also. I went into his arms next to hug him, breathing in his woodsy scent.

"I am sorry," I admitted into his shoulder as I rested my head against him. I had missed him, hell I had missed them all very much. "I just had some stuff to take care out of town."

"Without telling anyone? Your mom and brother have been worried sick; not to mention all of us too," Sookie said. She stopped and leaned in closer to me, speaking so softly only I could hear her. "_And Eric too_."

Her eyebrows raised as she said Eric's name as if it to emphasize it more so than she had by saying it. I knew Eric being worried and her _knowing _that she was worried meant something. Had she talked to him? Had he come here looking for me? It didn't make sense, he could have found me anywhere, but he hadn't come.

"Gosh, Sookie, I know alright. I said I was sorry," I said giving her a look. It felt good to know that I was missed and I felt a little bad for leaving Sam so high and dry-. "Wait, Lafayette is missing?" I asked looking at Sam as I remembered what he had said a moment ago.

Sam nodded as he sighed. "Yeah," he said. "Terry is working the kitchen all by himself. And of course he is about to have a mental break down."

My eyebrows went up. That was weird. I hadn't known Lafayette that long, but he did not seem like the type of person to just up and leave. Then again even I knew that Lafayette liked to party and from what I heard he liked to party hard. Maybe the partying had gotten a little extended.

"No one's heard from him or anything?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

Sam shook his head, but Tara spoke. "I am sure that he is fine. Sometimes he just does that," she said waving it away. Even though she seemed casual I could see it in her eyes that she was a little worried.

I shrugged and tried to keep my thoughts about Lafayette optimistic. "Sam, can I talk to you?" I asked him hesitantly.

He nodded quickly. "Of course. Let's go in my office."

I nodded and turned to Sookie who was looking at me expectantly. I knew she wanted to talk and had questions for me. "You're next Sookie, I promise," I said pointing at her.

She nodded as I followed Sam towards the back and into his office. Nothing inside had changed since I left. I could still see my extra work clothes sitting on the shelf where I normally put my things. I shut the door behind us as Sam turned to me with raised eyebrows. I had almost forgotten that the last time I had seen him had been after the fight with Renee which I still hadn't gotten to thank him for. He had come to save my life as well as Sookie's and he also happened to be the nicest boss that I had ever had….even if he was the first and only boss I had ever had.

"Sam, I am really sorry for just leaving town without saying a word to you," I started wringing my hands against the other. "After the whole thing with Renee and then finding out some other stuff about my past I just…" I trailed off as I shook my head. "I just had to get out of this town for awhile. But I am back now and even though I don't fully expect you too, if it is at all possible I would like to have my job back?"

Sam's face fell slightly, before he huffed and smiled at me. "Of Course, Chase. I am just glad you are okay. Your mom and brother come in every day asking if Sookie or I have heard from you and we were starting to think the worst."

I sighed, starting to feel worse about leaving. I knew Mary and Isaac would be worried, but I hadn't expected them to call out a search party or hound Sam and Sookie. "I am sorry about that. I'm going to go home and talk to them after I talk to Sookie."

"Well you can have your job back and start whenever you feel like, just let me know," he said sincerely. "And Chase, you know if you need to talk I am here for you."

I nodded and wiped at my eyes as they began to feel watery. I didn't want to cry. I was done with all the crying. "Yeah, I know, thanks Sam. I'll come in tomorrow for an afternoon shift?"

"Yeah, sure, that sounds great," he said with a nod.

"Okay, I am going to go talk to Sookie and head home. I will see you tomorrow," I said walking to the door.

I paused as I gripped the doorknob turning back to Sam who had moved toward his desk and was shuffling through some papers. He looked up when he didn't hear the door open and raised his eyebrows expectantly. I had been burning to ask him a question since that day in the cemetery and with my absence I hadn't been able to. Plus there was the part about it being extremely awkward.

"Sam…." I started softly releasing the doorknob and turning back toward him.

"Yes?" he said straightening as he put his hands on his hips.

"That day in the cemetery…with Renee and Sookie and the whole fight thing…"his face fell as I went on and he shifted on his feet nervously. "Were you…a dog when you arrived at the cemetery?"

His face turned beet red and his eyes dropped. "Well Chase…that's an uh…long story-."

"Sam, if you were somehow able to turn into a dog believe me I would understand," I said quickly sensing his hesitation. I would be able to understand of course seeing as I could hear people's thoughts and now move things if I was really emotional. "There are some things about me that you don't know…and I think that you and I might have a lot of weird things in common."

Sam's face fell slightly and he stepped toward me, whispering quietly. "You are a shifter too?"

I raised my eyebrow. So my boss could turn into a dog. I didn't know what was weirder, the fact that he could do it or the fact I wasn't at all surprised or shocked or scared about it. "No…I am a telepath," I answered.

Sam's eyes went wider and unlike me he looked surprised. "A telepath…like Sookie?" he asked softly.

"Well yes…but I can only read thoughts by touch…" I explained. "But I don't touch people a lot so I don't invade their privacy."

Sam shook his head in shock. "Wow Chase…and here I was thinking that Sookie was the only unique girl in this town," he turned away from me for a moment. "So this doesn't scare you?"

I blinked. "Does what scare me?"

Sam huffed as a smile played at his lips. "The fact that your boss can turn into a dog?"

"No, I am just as weird as you are and also Sam you saved my life that day," I answered softly. "Sookie and I would probably be dead if you hadn't showed up…as that dog."

Sam's blush went deeper and the smile grew. "Well…you're welcome…"

I felt myself blushing too and I faltered, stepping back from him. "I should be going…I have a lot of catching up to do with people…but this was nice, Sam…thank you for being honest with me," I said reaching for the door.

Sam nodded. "No problem. Thank you for coming back."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

I pulled the door open and stepped through catching sight of Sookie at the pickup window. I walked toward her quickly as she placed her orders on her tray. She looked at me and smiled. She looked different, happier if it was possible. Her eye had almost healed and you could barely see the faint hints of yellow and black around it. She was wearing her hair curly which I had never seen her do. Apparently she had gone through some changes over the past two weeks as well.

"You wanna talk now or later?" I asked, stopping by her and waving to Terry who was cooking in the back.

"Now of course. Let me put these orders out and I will meet you outside," she said with a nod.

I nodded in response and headed for the front entrance halting when Arlene stepped in front of me. I hesitated as she looked at me with a face full of mixed emotions, her hair a red mane around her head. I raised an eyebrow as I looked at her. She and I hadn't gotten along that much since I had started working at Merlotte's awhile ago, but then again I hadn't made much effort of trying to be her friend anyway. I felt bad for her about Renee and I knew she probably felt worse.

"Uh…what's up, Arlene?" I asked carefully.

I jumped as her arms wrapped around me, hugging me tightly to her as she let out one pitiful sounding sob. "Chase, I never got to tell you how sorry I was about Renee," she sobbed into my shoulder. "I had no idea that he was…doing what he was doing or that he would hurt you or Sookie like that-."

"Arlene, seriously, it's okay," I insisted pulling back to look her in the eye. Her dark mascara had started to run in black trails down her cheeks. I extended my arm toward the bar, grabbing some napkins to hand to her. She wiped at her eyes only making matters worse.

"I am sorry. I just never got to apologize," she said with a frown, smearing her make up even more.

"Really, Arlene, it's fine. I know you didn't know and I don't blame you so you have nothing to apologize for," I replied. I honestly was a little scared by her hugging me.

She nodded as she sniffled and wiped her eyes some more. "Ugh, I gotta go fix my face," she whined. "Excuse me."

I stepped aside as she moved past me toward the back and Sookie approached me, putting her tray on the bar and tucking her order pad in her apron. She didn't say anything as she took my hand and led me from the bar, out into the bright Louisiana sun. She moved around back, stopping near the dumpster before turning back to me.

"Okay, spill it," she said looking at me earnestly.

I felt myself blushing and I wasn't completely sure why. I didn't really have a reason to feel embarrassed. "Spill what?" I asked.

She huffed. "Chase, you were gone for two weeks without telling _anyone_ and even Eric couldn't find you," she replied incredulously. "How did you manage to block him?"

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Block him? What are you talking about, Sookie?"

"Eric called Bill to ask if he or I had seen you, which we hadn't," she explained. "Bill told me that Eric said he could no longer sense you and he thinks you're dead. Once Bill told me that we all were assuming the worst."

I deflated a little. Eric had stopped being able to sense me once I left Bon Temps? It didn't make sense at all. I had been fine the whole time I was gone and not in any immediate danger, but I knew he could sense all my emotions in general. It was just another thing to add to the list of confusing things that were happening to me. I knew I had to go talk to Eric, especially if he thought I was dead. It explained why he hadn't come to see me while I was gone. I was kicking myself for being angry at him this whole time and _not _calling when I should have.

"Whatever I was doing…it wasn't on purpose," I answered with a frown.

"Chase, what's going on with you?" Sookie asked me seriously, her face looked concerned. "I remember you throwing Renee off of Sam without even touching him and then you disappear for two weeks and _no one_ can find you. Not even the vampire you are _bonded_ with."

I huffed. I wished I had an answer to give her, but I didn't. I had no idea what was going on with me or who I even really was anymore. "Sookie….I don't know honestly. Before I left my mom told me I was adopted and that means that I could be…anything," I shrugged. "Who knows who my real parents were or where they were from or what they could do."

"Adopted?" Sookie said in surprise, her arms dropping.

I nodded. "Yeah my mom told me the night that Renee attacked us and I started questioning her about what I could do. She told me she had no idea what was going on with me because I had been adopted…that's why I left town."

"Oh gosh, Chase," she said wrapping her arms around me and pulling me in close. She smelt like wild flowers and a hint of something else I couldn't recognize. It was probably Bill's scent. "I had no idea…that must have been so hard for you…"

I nodded and continued to let her hug me. "Yeah…I'm sorry that I just left without a word, especially after what happened with Renee-Drew-whatever."

Sookie finally released me. "I know. We were just worried….Are you going to try and find out who your real parents are?"

"Yes…you saw what I did at the cemetery to Renee. I have to figure of why I have these powers and who I am. I just wish I had found out sooner," I sighed running my hand through my hair. "All these years of wondering what was wrong with me and why I wasn't normal like everyone else in my family."

Sookie nodded absently her face scrunched up in thought. "Chase, you know I am here if you need me for _anything_."

"Yes Sookie I know and thank you," I replied. "I should head home and call off the search parties. I guess I have a lot of assumptions to fix."

Sookie nodded again. "Okay, well call me later alright? I have plans with Bill, but if you want to talk or anything you just call me," she said sincerely.

"Of course I will. Tell Sam and everyone I said goodbye," I said giving her a brief hug.

"Okay."

I waved goodbye to her and headed for my car. The ride back to my house was longer than normal it seemed, but I attributed it to my being anxious. When I finally pulled up to the front of my house I was surprised to see a car that I didn't recognize sitting in the driveway. I parked in front of the house and shut the ignition off, climbing out of the car slowly and walking up the path to my house. I slid my key into the lock and turned pushing the door open and being met with the sounds of the television.

"Chase?"

It was Mary's voice and it was full of surprise and relief. I stepped into the house as she came running out of the kitchen, reaching me in three long strides. Her arms came around me firmly making me freeze at the pressure of her squeezing me against her thick frame. I let her hold me as she let out a few relieved sighs and pulled back to look me in the eye. She smoothed my hair out of my face and her eyes scanned me in that motherly way, checking for marks and signs of abuse.

"I am so glad you are home," she admitted, her brown eyes watering. "I didn't know if you were ever coming back."

My eyes scanned the living room which still looked the same as I had left it just a lot cleaner, which was to be expected with Mary living here. There was the same old long black couch in my living room, with the black entertainment center holding the TV and a mixture of my and Cassandra's movie and CD collection. I didn't see Isaac anywhere in the living room, but I assumed he was here somewhere. I withdrew from Mary after a moment and offered her a weak smile. I was still angry with her and had not forgotten the way I left, but I knew she was happy to see that I was had come back.

"Where have you been?" she asked giving me that stern motherly look as she put her hands on her hips.

"In Bossier City," I answered absently, shutting the door behind me. "Where is Isaac?"

"He is in the room with your father," she replied. "Bossier City? Where on earth is that, Chase? Do you know how worried we were about you?"

"I am a big girl mom," I replied with a frown. "I'm going to go see Isaac."

I moved past her, taking note of the way her face fell. I walked quickly down the hallway to the guest room. The door was half way closed and I could hear the sound of the television playing, I pushed against it leaving it to swing open. They had finally put furniture in the room for my brother, which consisted of a full sized bed and a dresser with a TV sitting on top of it and a desk in the corner. Isaac was lying on the bed, his back against the headboard, his casted leg elevated on a pillow. Christopher, my father, was sitting in the desk chair, remote in hand. Both of their eyes turned to me as I stepped into the room, their faces falling.

"Chase," Christopher said breathlessly as he rose from the chair, moving toward me quickly. "Jesus Christ I thought you were dead."

I opened my arms, letting him hug me. I knew he would be here, Mary had probably called him right after I left and he had come down immediately. As much as I wanted to be mad at Christopher I just couldn't be. He was my favorite parent and always had been. He had always been there for me in a completely different way than Mary had been and I could already see the apology written in his eyes. Whether I had been adopted or not I had to admit that I had grown up in a nice loving family, never having to go without or be in need. Maybe my real parents had been poor and just wanted me to have a good life, or hadn't wanted me to grow up in whatever world they had.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I whispered against his chest. "I just needed to think."

"Its okay, Chase….I just wish you could have called," he answered as he pulled back, shaking his head. "Your mother and I could have sat down and had a talk with you about everything, before you did something rash."

_Rash?_ That was something my dad would say alright. "Well we can talk about it now that I am back home because I have a ton of questions, but-," I broke off and looked at Isaac who was watching me. "I need to talk to Isaac alone for a minute if that's okay?"

Christopher nodded at me walking toward the bedroom door and shutting it behind him. I turned back to my brother, climbing on the bed beside him as he looked at me apologetically. I reached over and took his hand, giving it a squeeze as I looked him in the grey eyes. I could already tell he hadn't known, he was looking at me as if I was an entirely different person now.

"Chase, I had no idea," he admitted quickly shaking his head. "I feel so bad; all those times I teased you and told people that you weren't really my sister and that you were adopted and come to find out you really are. Gosh I am such an asshole. But I don't care if you aren't my blood you are still my sister and I love ya' and I will kick the ass of anyone who says otherwise."

I smiled as I chuckled and squeezed his hand again. "I know you didn't know Isaac. It's okay. I am not mad at you…I just wanted to apologize for just leaving you without saying anything. As you can imagine I had a lot on my mind and I needed to do some thinking."

"I can't believe you are adopted, Chase," he said softly shaking his head. "It doesn't make a lick of sense. We both have grey eyes just like dad for god sake. Your hair is dark like dads and mine too; I mean I never would have known just by looking at you."

I shrugged. The same thoughts went through my head. I did have Christopher's dark hair and grey eyes, but it didn't mean that I wasn't adopted. And depending on how old I was when they adopted me, it could have been one of the deciding factors in adopting me, the fact that I had those same traits as my dad did.

"Chase?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Isaac who was staring at me with a raised eyebrow. "Huh?" I said.

"Are you going to try and find your real family?" he asked hesitantly.

I nodded. "But it won't change a thing. I am still your sister and you are still my brother and mom and dad are still my mom and dad," I explained. "But I just need to know why I can do the things that I can do…"

He nodded reluctantly and I leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "I'm going to go talk to mom and dad okay?"

I slid off the bed and offered my brother one last smile before exiting the room. I found my parents sitting at the kitchen table across from each other with steaming mugs in hand. There was another mug still steaming sitting in front of the empty chair. Mary offered me a small smile and motioned to the empty chair. That was Mary, always thinking ahead. I took the seat, catching my parent's nervous and anxious looks. I wrapped my hands around the mug, taking in the warmth and letting it flow up my arms. I looked at each of my parents before sighing.

"So…who wants to start?" I said lifting the mug to my mouth to take a sip. It was sweetened tea.

My parents shared a long look before they both sighed and looked back at me. It was Christopher who started talking which surprised me the most.

"We adopted you when you were two," he started softly, his eyes falling down to his clasped hands. "Your mother and I were having trouble conceiving and of course we really wanted to have children. We tried everything and it just was not happening. So we went with the last option we had and decided to adopt."

"We went to a few agencies and then to a children's receiving home, which is kind of like a foster home or orphanage, and that's where we found you," Mary cut in. "You were very cute and smart and you even had dark hair and grey eyes just like Christopher and we just knew right away that we wanted you."

I felt my stomach drop as they spoke. I had assumed that I had been adopted as a baby. The only memories that I had were of my parent and brother, but I had been wrong. I had been adopted as a toddler, which confused me even more. Shouldn't I have been able to remember this?

"You were legally ours and living in our home three months later and you took to us right away," Mary continued wiping at her eyes. "You were such a happy little girl and you made us happy."

"_Very happy_," Christopher added.

I swallowed hard trying to take everything in slowly so I didn't overwhelm myself and make my power manifest because of my emotions. I had a ton of questions welling inside of me and they came spewing out of my mouth. "Did…they say anything about where I had come from? Or who my real parents were? Is Chase even my real name?"

Christopher's lips tightened as he looked at me. "The children's home said that you were brought to there by the police when you were one years old. They didn't say much more than that and when we asked for more information about where you came from they couldn't tell us. We were worried about not knowing your medical history and other things, but the home said they couldn't release that information because they didn't have much to begin with. But you were always a healthy child. You never got sick or anything. You haven't even had the chicken pox."

"They didn't say anything about who my real parents were?" I asked softly raising my eyebrows.

"No sweetheart. And once you were with us you were never withdrawn or distant…you never asked for anyone else from your past or even talked about it. It was like you didn't even remember being at the home…We never thought we would have to tell you about this…we were your mommy and daddy…" Mary answered reaching forward to take my hand.

"What about my name?" I questioned. "Did you change it when you adopted me?"

Christopher smiled slightly. "Chase is the name your biological parents gave you…we didn't want to change it because you went by that name already and we didn't want to traumatize you by giving you a name you didn't recognize. We only changed your last name to Morgan."

"And my biological last name is?"

"You didn't have one. The director of the home who acted as all the children's guardians gave you her last name which was Lancaster…but as far as your biological last name we aren't sure," Mary said shaking her head. "All the information we were given for you was very limited. We were only given a file that the home had created about your stay there which didn't contain much…everything else about you we just learned as the years went by."

"If you guys couldn't conceive then where did Isaac come from?" I inquired.

"He was miracle baby…" Mary shrugged half heartedly. "I got pregnant with him shortly after we adopted you."

I sighed and put my head in my hands. To sum it all up I couldn't remember the first two years of my life and everything that I had known and loved my entire life had been a lie. And to top it all off there was little information given about me which left me with even less clues than I had before. The only thing I had to go on was the home they had adopted me from. I would have to go there and ask them more questions. There had to be way more information from where I had come from.

"Where did you adopt me from? I need to know the place exactly," I asked looking at them both.

"Chase….I don't think we should tell you-," Christopher started.

"We adopted you in Dallas," Mary blurted making my father frown. "There is only one children's receiving home in the whole city."

I nodded carefully. "Okay..."

"Is there more that you want to know?" Mary asked tentatively.

I shook my head. They had nothing more to offer. "No, but thank you for…being honest with me," I said rising from the table and moving around to hug her. She tensed in surprise, but hugged me in return. She was still my mother after all, in every way besides biologically, she had been the one to raise and love me, which is more than I could say for whoever my real parents were.

"You are home to stay now correct?" Christopher asked as I pulled away from Mary.

"I am for now," I mumbled sliding back into my chair. "But I still need to find some more answers. This doesn't change the fact that _something_ is happening to me and I need to know why."

My parents shared another look, both of their faces falling slightly as they looked at me. "Chase, I really wish you would reconsider this…what if you find out something horrible about whoever your real parents were?" Christopher asked me carefully.

I shrugged and shook my head. "What if they know some way to take my abilities away and make me normal?" I countered.

They didn't look to much convinced about what I had said and I knew that they were thinking the exact same thing I was thinking in the back of my mind. What if I wasn't human? Or what if my parents were crazy telepathic and telekinetic psycho axe murderers? I had considered all of these things during my two week stay at Bossier City Hotel and had decided that in my case, ignorance was _not_ bliss.

"I am going to find out who my biological parents were and as my adopted parents I hope that you understand that," I said determinedly as I rose to my feet and picked up my mug of tea. "If you guys can't accept that then you should go back to Austin and stay out of it."

I moved around the table quickly as their expressions turned to shock. I walked quickly to my bedroom and shut the door behind me. I leaned against it for a moment taking a deep breath before drinking in a long swallow of the now lukewarm tea. I had little to go on and no permission from my parents, but I was going to find out who my real parents were and I wasn't going to let anyone stop me, but first I had a few things to square away with Eric Northman.


	3. Still Alive

A/N: Greetings! I have returned with another update as promised. I may not be able to post the next chapter till the day after tomorrow because I am experiencing a little writer's block, but I will do my best. My muse is experiencing technical difficulties and she's got a few kinks to work out before she can give me anything haha. Anyway this chapter is nice and long and filled with lots of Eric and some lemons so hopefully it will tide you over until I can update again! :D Don't forget to let me know what you think.

* * *

Chapter Two: Still Alive

Fangtasia's parking lot was full with cars and people, there was a line formed already at the door even though it was only an hour and twenty minutes past sunset. I had expected the place to be empty since it was early, but I was wrong. I parked in the rear of the building where I knew no one liked to park because it was dark, and climbed out of my car, locking it behind me. I had spent the few hours after my talk with my parents in bed with Isaac watching television with him and being caught up on what had been happening in Bon Temps while I was gone, which was nothing more than what Sookie had filled me in on. As soon as the sun set I changed into a pair of jeans and a tank top with my leather jacket over it and flip flops, and headed to Shreveport after reassuring my parents that I wasn't leaving for good again.

The night air was warm around me as I walked casually toward the entrance to Fangtasia. Even though I made sure to keep my face calm, my insides were burning and boiling with nervousness. I felt as if a swarm of butterflies had been caught in my stomach and were fluttering around madly trying to escape. I hadn't seen Eric in two long weeks and he had believed me to be dead this entire time. I could only imagine his reaction to seeing me alive and well. Maybe he would be angry or happy or maybe he wouldn't care. Two weeks was plenty of time to get over someone especially in vampire time and I wasn't completely sure that there was anything between Eric and me to _get over_. Either way I felt compelled to go see him and let him know that I was okay, and figure out why he could no longer sense me.

I could see the frowns on people's faces as I bypassed the line and made a beeline straight for Pam, who was doing the bouncing of course and surprisingly dressed in a very Martha Stewart like attire. Her long blonde hair was hanging around her shoulders and she wore high heels and a fuzzy baby blue sweater and matching skirt. When she saw me her eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas, although her face remained blank except for that sly smile she always wore. She placed her hands on her hips, all her weight shifting to her right leg as one blonde eyebrow rose slowly.

"So you _are_ still alive," she said darkly as she looked me up and down.

"Apparently."

"My. My. My. You have had Eric in quite the fuss. You mind telling me just how you have managed to block the bond from a thousand year old vampire?"

I huffed. _If I knew I would_, I thought. "Is Eric in?" I asked, specifically avoiding her question.

Pam's smile widened. "Yes, he is in his office."

"May I go in?" I asked trying to be polite.

Pam took a step toward me, invading my space and making me tense. She leaned forward slightly and sniffed the air around me, making me look at her in surprise. "Mmm….I am beginning to understand why he is so interested in you…Go right in."

I nodded and moved past her quickly, hearing the shouts and protests of the people who had been waiting in line. The music wasn't that loud as I stepped through the door and had to bob and weave through the crowd, making sure to put my mental block up. The anxiousness in me grew as I reached Eric's office and I paused at the door, reaching one hand up to knock on the door softly. I knew that he would hear it even over the music. There was no answer which made me hesitate, I thought about turning back and going to ask Pam if she was sure that he was in, but changed my mind.

I gripped the doorknob, twisting it and pushing the door open. My eyes found him quickly and my stomach sunk slightly as I noticed he was not alone. There was a young woman sitting on the black couch beside him. Eric was leaning over her, one large pale hand cradling her chin as his mouth covered her slim throat and I could see his Adams apple bobbing quickly as he drank in her blood. The young girl's eyes were closed and she moaned softly as her fingers curled around the material of Eric's dark shirt.

Even this sight didn't make me falter even though I could not stop the pang of jealousy that stabbed at my gut. What else did I expect? For him to be sitting here in his office brooding over me? Not likely, this was Eric after all. I cleared my throat, quite loudly, drawing the attention of them both. The girl's eyes snapped open and she withdrew from Eric whose blonde haired head whipped around to see who had interrupted his meal.

The minute he laid his blue eyes on me, the anger that had been on his face drained and his eyes went wide by the smallest amount, it was barely noticeable. His blood covered fangs retracted with a soft click and his tongue swept over his lips slowly to catch the blood that covered his supple lips. I remained motionless under his gaze, my hand still gripping the doorknob as I looked back at him. The only way to adequately describe his gaze was that it looked as if he was staring at a ghost. And _I_ was that ghost.

"Leave," he said simply, his eyes still on me.

My face fell in surprise and my heart skipped a beat as it was pierced with hurt. The tears hit my eyes before I could stop them and I turned to go when suddenly Eric was beside me, my arm firmly in his grip as he continued to stare at me.

"Not you, Chase," he said softly, before finally tearing his eyes away from me and looking at the girl who sat confused on the couch. There were two puncture marks on her neck that were still bleeding. "You. Leave. _Now._"

The girl was obedient as she was pretty; she jumped to her feet quickly and walked briskly out of the room. Eric shut the door behind her before turning back to me, his blue eyes flaming. The grip on my arm tightened and he spun me around, making the room blur, before my back hit the door with a loud thud. Pain sparked up in my back, but I was too preoccupied with Eric's presence standing so close to me to notice.

"_Where have you been_?" he asked me through clenched teeth, sounding like an angry father who had just caught his daughter sneaking in through her window.

So my first assumption about his reaction had been right. He was angry. "I was in Bossier City staying at a hotel, thinking about things," I explained hurriedly.

He pushed me harder into the door, the hand on my arm nearly cutting off circulation. "Then why could I not sense you?" he questioned me further, his tone as cold as his skin. "I believed you to be _dead_, Chase."

Okay, I hadn't expected him to be _this_ angry. Pam was right; he was in a fuss, which was not like Eric at all. At least not the Eric I knew. I reached for his free hand that hung at his side, clasping it in my own as I softened my gaze. "Well I'm not Eric so you can relax and just admit that you are happy to see me alive and here," I said softly.

His frown deepened. His expression was serious and so was his tone, but he allowed me to hold his hand. "Why were you in Bossier City?" he asked me calmly.

"Well I found out that I was adopted," I said softly, not knowing why I was feeling ashamed. I felt my cheeks burning and I released his hand, pushing my hair back. "So I needed to think about some things and get my head straight."

"Are there no phones in Bossier City?"

"I was expecting you to come to me."

"And how was I to do that if I could not sense you?"

"Umm firstly I didn't know you couldn't sense me and I don't know…sniff out my scent? Can't vampires do that?"

"I am not a dog, Chase."

"And I was not very level headed at the time or too concerned with _your _feelings, Eric."

"I thought you had _died_, Chase. Clearly you could see that as a predicament for me."

"Well I'm sorry you thought I was dead and all, but my whole world literally just shattered two weeks ago. I have no idea where I come from and I found out I have been living a lie for the past 20 years. Not exactly a pleasant experience, Eric."

Eric's face fell and his eyes darkened. "Make no mistake, Chase, I am pleased to see that you are alive, but do not think that I am not upset. You could have placed one simple phone call to let me know you were alive and well." He released me and his strong arms crossed over a broad chest. "And any vampire could have told you that you are adopted. You have an entirely different blood type than your parents _and_ brother which makes it impossible for you to be their biological child."

I huffed, my face falling in shock as my fists clenched tightly in anger. "Oh really? Then why didn't you say anything Mr. Northman, if you are such a know-it-all," I asked raising my eyebrows as I crossed my own arms.

"I did not pick up both of your parents blood scent until you were good and gone and I had not been able to sense or find you so therefore I could not, _Ms. Morgan_," he snarled. "Had you used the good technology of today and called I would have been more than happy to tell you _and _I would have invited you to stay with me where I would know that you are safe."

My knuckles popped as my fists clenched tighter. How on earth could he think that telling someone they are adopted would even be a courteous thing to do if you weren't that someone's adopted parent? Even if he had known and found out I would not have wanted _him_ to be the one to tell me.

"God, Eric, you are unbelievable," I sighed shaking my head. "I am gone for two weeks- and I _actually_ miss you while I am gone- and this is the reunion I get with you; you getting mad at me because I had taken some time to be _human_ and deal with my _human_ problems."

I pushed on his chest hard, making him take a few steps back as I turned on my heel, gripping the door handle, fully intending to storm out of Fangtasia much like how all my other encounters with Eric ended. Me storming away angrily because he had a knack for making everything about him.

"Stop."

It was an order and even though I wanted to resist I stopped and turned back to him. His face had softened although not by much and he had taken a single step toward me, his arms still crossed over his chest. The muscles in his arms flexed as I saw his body tensing and I licked my lips. I couldn't help myself. Even when he was being an egotistical asshole, he was a _sexy_ egotistical asshole.

"I am a thousand years old Chase," he said seriously looking at me with his oceanic eyes. "I grow tired of these games you and I play and I shall do it no more."

My heart sunk into my chest and my face turned up as if I were going to cry. _Now what the hell did that mean?_ I thought as I forced the sobs that wanted to burst from me back down to the pits of my stomach and blinked my eyes to keep the tears at bay. I crossed my arms and tried my best to stand my ground.

"And just what does that mean, Eric?"

"It means that I am not going to chase after you anymore," he answered thickly. "We will either set these differences aside here and now or I will ask you to leave Fangtasia and never return. I do enjoy a good game of cat and mouse here and there, but this game between us has gone on long enough. And it is pointless seeing as I have not only claimed you already, but taken your body as well. As I said on the night I met you, you intrigue me. And I enjoy your company and I now have emotions invested in the involvement I have with you, but I will no longer tolerate you running out of the door every time you get overwhelmed by your human emotions. So you will either give yourself to me willingly or do not come back."

I blinked, utterly taken aback by his statement. I found myself speechless and could only stare up at him. I swallowed hard and tried to wrap my head around what he meant. Was he trying to tell me that he wanted more than what we had now? Or that I was supposed to just sit by and let him be the boss of whatever 'involvement' we had together? The first option seemed way more appealing than the second, if he meant the second then I was definitely storming out and Eric Northman could kiss my telepathic ass.

"So you want me to just let you boss me around?" I asked finally.

Eric frowned. "That is not what I said," he replied heatedly.

"Then what did you say because that's what I gathered from it," I countered.

"While I do enjoy the fight in you, Chase, I am stating that you need not continue to run from me," he explained.

"I do _not_ run from you, Eric."

One blonde eyebrow cocked and he looked at me incredulously.

I sighed. He was right. I did run from him. A lot. And I was getting sick of it too. I swallowed my pride and gave in, moving closer to him. He stood completely still like a gorgeous ancient statue and looked down at me. This was my way of relenting to show that I was here to stay and that I wanted him, both of which he already knew. A small smile spread across his face as he realized this. My body practically screaming, _I'm here Eric Northman and yours for the taking._

"Well," I said throwing my arms up after he didn't move for a whole minute. "I'm still here. Not running."

He smiled wickedly, straightening his body before large hands came forward, gripping my hips to pull me toward his broad frame. His arms wrapped around my waist, his body felt like stone against mine and I had almost forgotten just how cold his skin was. I had missed him a lot more than I had realized and it hit me in just that moment as his head bent towards mine and soft lips took me. I moaned at the feel of him, yielding to his mouth as his tongue slid into me. His arms tightened around my waist, locking me firmly in his grasp as he crushed me against his frame.

The kiss turned feverish as my hands found the cotton material of his shirt and I pulled against it, wanting to feel his cold hard skin against mine. Two long weeks of not even seeing him had me feeling hot and needy in his arms and I felt as if I would rupture with it if I did not get any satisfaction. Satisfaction that only _Eric _could provide. I also wanted a few blissful moments where I could forget everything that was going on around me. My heart was thudding in my chest and my breath was coming out of my nose in furious pants. I knew it was inappropriate and if it continued and we ended up doing it in his office it would be just as undignified as my first time, but I didn't care. Want had taken me over and I was going to give in to it _and_ Eric.

I pulled away from his mouth with a gasp trying to catch some of my breath as I reached for the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head and letting the material drop to the floor. A devilish smirk slid across his gorgeous face and I saw his fangs unsheathe, making a surprising thrill rush through me. He followed my lead and pulled his shirt over his head in the blink of an eye, revealing his sculpted body to me. I sighed in longing and jumped him, wrapping my arms around his neck as he caught me by the thighs letting me enfold my legs around him. He turned as my mouth found his again, my tongue sliding carefully between his fangs. He carried me to the couch this time instead of the desk, which I reminded myself to thank him for later.

The couch was surprisingly soft against my back as he laid me on it, his body laying heavily over mine as I kissed him desperately. His hands roamed my body, taking in the feel of my soft skin like he was appraising fabric. My body tingled in response, every nerve sparking under his touch, making me wetter as each second rolled by. My hands left his firm skin and went for the buckle to his dark pants, battling and tugging at it as he pulled away from my mouth with a soft chuckle.

"I see your absence from me has left you wanting," he whispered playfully in my ear before biting the lobe carefully.

I bit my lip in anticipation as I finally mastered the buckle and yanked it from his pants tossing the belt to the floor. I went for the button to his pants next as his mouth slid down from my ear, licking his way down my neck, his fangs scraping against my skin making me moan. I was burning and impatient now, my fingers trembling as I finally released him from his pants and I gripped his length tight. The groan that escaped his lips excited me, my hand sliding from tip to base, his veins throbbing against my flesh. I knew I was being very forward, but I didn't care.

"I want to hear you say it," he growled, pulling back as his hands gripped the sides of my jeans and he wrenched them from my body with one swift graceful move. "Say you need me."

I was opening my mouth to respond, ready and willing to say and do anything that he wanted if it meant that I would finally get the pleasure that I had been longing for when the door to the office burst open and Jessica stepped through already in mid rant with an irritated looking Pam following closely behind. I couldn't help the scream that I let out and in a vampire second Eric had me on my feet with his large body standing in front of me and his pants back in their rightful position. I crouched behind him trying to hide the fact that I was only in my bra and panties now. Pam and Jessica stopped dead in their tracks, Jessica's face falling while Pam's face turned from irritation to amusement, a large smile spreading across her face.

"Well. Well. Well. What have you two been doing and why was I not invited to partake in it?" Pam asked slyly.

"Eww, were you going to do it here in the office?" Jessica spat in disgust making me frown. "I sit on that couch you know."

"Jessica, shut up," Eric growled angrily through clenched teeth. "Pam, you are supposed to be keeping an eye on her."

"I have no control over the girl. _And_ she is growing to be quite annoying Eric," Pam said rolling her eyes. "I think she needs to be returned to her maker."

"For what? Just because I was going to feed on a human that was more than willing and who even offered himself to me? What is the big deal?" Jessica screeched stamping her foot like a spoiled child not getting her way. "Eric, you let me-."

"Enough!" Eric shouted so loudly that even Pam startled slightly. His voice held a lot of power and that was the first time I had ever heard him yell. It got that heat that was already flooding me to intensify. What could I say? His voice was sexy, even in loud deep throaty yells. "Pam, Jessica, get out of my office. I will deal with this matter later; _obviously_ I am busy at the moment."

Jessica frowned deeply and she passed me a glare as I peeked around Eric's arm. I returned it just the same before she went storming from the office with Pam following behind her. Eric sighed and turned to me with a frown, my skin burned with embarrassment and I reached for my jeans which was the nearest article of clothing that belonged to me. My mood had officially drained and as much as I wanted Eric I should at least dignify myself by having my second sexual experience at least occur on a bed, preferably in a bedroom with a dead bolted door.

"I should go," I said as I felt Eric's gaze burning my back. I buttoned my jeans and moved around him to retrieve my shirt and slip it on. "Clearly you have things to take care of here and I should get back home and…die of embarrassment..."

"Wait," he said grabbing my arm to stop me. I looked up at him expectantly, feeling the lust creep back up in me. "I do not like not knowing where you are."

My eyebrow rose slowly. "And what you would like for me to do about it?" I asked with a small smile. "Apparently there is something wrong with your blood….maybe it ran out?"

He frowned at my attempt at a joke, which didn't surprise me.

"Eric, I have a cell phone you know. You could call or txt and _ask _me where I am," I said crossing my arms.

"That is not the same. How am I supposed to know if you are in danger?" he asked me.

I sighed. I knew he wasn't going to let this go, I was his and that meant that he was supposed to have to tabs on me at all times. "So you want me to drink more of your blood I am guessing?"

He didn't answer me.

There was a sharp rapping on the door.

"Eric, I am going to stake this newborn if you do not get out here and deal with her."

It was Pam and she sounded as irritated as I felt. Eric let out a deep aggravated growl, blurring around the room until he finally went still by the door, his shirt now on his body once more as well as his belt. One large hand smoothed long blonde hair and his other hand gripped the doorknob, pulling the door open quickly. Pam stood on the other side, her body language just screaming annoyance as Jessica stood beside her, arms crossed and eyes on the ceiling. It was almost funny, but I didn't dare laugh.

"Jessica, get your things," Eric said calmly crossing his arms. "I intend to have you back in Bill's possession within the next thirty minutes."

Jessica huffed and looked at Eric in shock, stamping her foot on the ground. "You are really going to make me go back to Bill's?" she asked angrily.

"Jessica, you heard me and I will _not_ repeat myself," he said through clenched teeth.

"I am going to go," I announced making three pairs of eyes look at me.

Eric frowned slightly as I moved toward him; he stopped me as I went to step out of the door. "I will come to you soon," he said sternly. "Until then stay out of trouble."

I nodded and saluted him, making his frown deepen. "Aye aye sir."

I moved past him and through Fangtasia's main crowd. I glanced down at my watch as I reached the parking lot and saw that it was barely past eight o' clock. I wasn't ready to go home just yet and decided to make a trip to Merlotte's instead. I hadn't seen everyone in awhile and it would nice to hang out as a customer instead of a patron.

The bar was fairly busy as normal when I stepped through and was greeted with the sounds of everyone's mixed talking and some old country tunes playing on the jukebox. I spotted Tara working the bar right away, serving Andy Bellefleur a drink and Sookie serving food. I walked toward the bar and took the stool beside Andy who looked at me crossly. He was drunk. Very drunk.

"Well if it isn't Ms. Up and disappear for two weeks," he grumbled looking me up and down with his beady eyes.

I frowned at him. "Excuse me, Andy?"

"Ignore him," Tara said quickly bringing my attention to her. "He is beyond drunk and doesn't mean half of what he is saying."

That didn't change the fact that I was irritated by his statement and I continued to glare at him as Tara placed an empty glass in front of me. I looked at her as she gazed at me expectantly. "What is your poison?"

"Uh no, I don't drink," I said quickly shaking my head. "I am just here to enjoy the…" I looked around taking in the dead animal art and the few patrons drinking or stuffing their faces with food. "Ambiance," I finished.

Tara's eyes looked around taking in everything I saw. "Trust me, chase, there is no ambiance in this place and everyone drinks and it isn't a bad thing it just depends on when to _stop_," she said giving Andy a look. He frowned. "So what will you have? It's on me."

I shrugged. I hadn't had a drink in a long time so it wouldn't hurt to have one small one. "Give me a shot of something strong," I blurted. "I don't care what it is as long as it burns."

Tara smirked at me and grabbed a bottle from beneath the bar, pouring a shots worth in my glass. I lifted it to my lips and tossed my head back, downing its contents in one swallow. It burned alright, but in a completely good way. It was warm as it went down my throat and to my belly, making my whole body tingle. I pushed the glass back toward Tara who took it from me with a smile and turned in time to see Sookie coming my way. She beckoned me over to her with a wave of her hand. I slid off the stool after thanking Tara and followed after Sookie finding her standing by pick up window shuffling through her tickets. I leaned against the wall with arms crossed as she placed her tickets on the ticket carousel on the window sill.

"Hey…how did everything go at home?" she asked quietly, glancing at me from the corner of her eyes.

I shrugged. "They went alright. I found out I was adopted in Dallas at the age of two and…" I trailed off. "That is pretty much it. The only way to find out more information is to go to Dallas and figure it out."

She looked apologetic and reached forward to touch my shoulder. "Well at least you have something to go on," she offered.

I nodded. "Yeah…how are things going with Bill?"

Her face instantly brightened and she smiled widely. "They are going great. Really, really, great. He makes me very happy. We are going to celebrate them passing that vampire law tonight."

I smiled. I couldn't help it. Sookie and Bill's relationship was so peachy. "Well that is good."

"Have you seen Eric yet?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"And?"

"And he was mad of course that 'his' human had been out of contact with him for two weeks and blah blah blah," I muttered rolling me eyes.

"Did you guys find out why he could not sense you?" she asked quietly.

I shook my head. "No and I am not sure that we will…I figure it has something to do with whatever else is going on with me."

Sookie nodded. "Well, you going to be staying here for awhile?"

"Sure…I am starved can you put an order in for me?"

I stayed and ate my favorite meal at Merlotte's, a bacon cheeseburger and fries. It wasn't as good as when Lafayette made it, but Terry had done his best and the burger was not completely disgust, it just didn't have Lafayette's touch. By the time I was done eating it was nearing closing time and I decided to stay and help Sookie and Tara close up. Sam had been locked in his office since my arrival and I got the feeling that he didn't want to be disturbed so I didn't go knocking. The only thing left to take care of was Andy Bellefleur who still sat at the bar, drunker than he had been when I first got here hours ago.

"He ain't listenin' to me," Tara said as Sookie and I approached, she glanced at Andy as she toweled off a drinking glass. "You two can give it a shot…good luck."

Sookie sighed and I frowned as we moved to stand in front of Andy. "We're closing, give me your keys," Sookie said holding out her hand.

Andy growled. "I ain't giving you shit, Stackhouse."

Sookie and I both blinked taken aback. Her face scrunched up as she answered one of his private thoughts aloud. "It would never make me happy to see someone in pain. I'm gonna call your sister to come pick you up, _Detective_ Bellefleur."

Sookie moved past me and headed towards the phone, leaving Andy looking surprised and pitiful all at once. His eyes turned on me and I smiled weakly. I knew that he felt like an idiot for putting all his ducks on Jason and then looking like a fool when it turned out to be Renee. I reached forward and touched the bare skin of his arm, feeling all of his self doubt and pity as well as hearing his thoughts that matched his emotions. The man was just one big depressed heap.

"Andy, you are a good detective," I said trying to be nice. He was also an asshole.

He frowned. "You don't even know me, Chase."

I ignored his icy tone and pulled my arm away from him.

"Don't be such a jerk, Andy," Tara said moving to stand next to me. "Chase is just trying to be nice."

"Well I don't need no one's pity compliments," Andy stated angrily, rising to his feet and stumbling for the door.

Tara sighed and rolled her brown eyes looking at me. "You can go home; me and Sookie will go after him."

"Okay," I wasn't in the mood to deal with Andy's attitude anyway. "I am going home. Tell Sookie I said bye."

Tara nodded and I moved past her, using the back exit to go to my car. By the time Sookie and Tara started screaming about the dead body in the back of Andy's car I was halfway home.


	4. Promises

A/N: Hey guys I have returned with another daily update as promised. My muse was nice to me and kept me working all night. Lucky for you guys this whole chapter is filled with Chase and Eric and lemons . Be sure to let me know what you think! I'll try to update again tomorrow if not hopefully the day after. Enjoy! :D

* * *

Chapter Three: Promises

When I got home the house was completely dark and everyone had already gone to bed. I shut the door behind me, locking it before tip toeing quietly to my bedroom. I left the lights off as I set my purse, keys and cell phone on my night stand before setting my alarm clock for work tomorrow. I felt tired even though I hadn't done much for the day and decided to take a shower and hit the hay. I walked into my bathroom and turned the shower head on, letting it warm up as I stripped and then climbed in. I showered for a good twenty minutes, taking extra time to wash my hair and enjoy the warmth of the water. When I finally got out I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and combed my hair before slipping on one of the large t-shirts I slept in sometimes. By then I was already yawning sleepily and shut off the bathroom light heading into the darkness of my room.

"How was the shower?"

I startled, nearly jumping right out of my skin as I let out a surprised gasp. My heart thudded against my rib cage as I made out the shape of Eric standing by my now open bedroom window. I frowned and reached for the light switch, flicking the switch so that the room was filled with light by my lamp. He was smirking as he slid my window shut without taking his eyes off me. I was still frowning.

"I guess I don't need to ask how you got in here," I muttered rolling my eyes. I was happy to see him, but I was growing tired of him scaring me half to death. "Wouldn't you rather have a key so that you could use the front door?"

"So that I can frighten your parents to death by them catching me walking through the front door?" he asked the smirk widening. I moved to my bedroom door and locked it at the mention of my parents. That was the last thing I needed right now, was for them to catch me with a vampire in my bedroom. I couldn't wait for them to leave back home to Austin so I could have privacy in my own home.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him softly.

"I am just…visiting," he replied, his smirk widening. I shivered. Visiting, my ass. He was here expecting something and I got an idea of what it was. And it wasn't happening.

I moved toward my bed and crawled onto it, lying on my stomach and burying my face into my pillow. I was so happy to be back in my own room and on my own bed. The bed at the hotel was lumpy and uncomfortable. My bed was soft, but firm and had just the right amount of pillows and if I aimed by body just right there was a spot that smelt of Eric, which had become my favorite place to rest my head. I felt the weight of the bed shift as he sat next to me, one cold hand reaching out to touch the bare skin of my thigh. It sent sparks shooting through me to all the right places and I could not stop the moan that came from my lips. I turned my head to look at him and found him gazing down at me with lusty blue eyes. He had removed his jacket and I could see it lying on my desk.

"Did you take Jessica back to Bill?" I asked him as he slid closer to me, leaning down to rest on his elbow.

"Yes," he answered leaning in close to me and nuzzling my ear. "She was far much more trouble than she was worth. And I am also no baby sitter. She is his problem to deal with, not mine."

Heat rushed me as I began to pant softly, his lips caressing my ear and his hand sliding up beneath my large shirt and smoothing over my bare butt. My legs started rubbing together, creating a friction between my legs that increased the burn that he had started. I tried to stay focused on the subject of Jessica and Bill and keeping him at bay, figuring that since I was not very quiet when it came to Eric pleasing me I should not start this endeavor with him in the same house that my parents were in. I was a grown woman, but it would just be awkward for them to hear that.

"Why…uh…why did you have her to begin with?" I breathed.

His hand continued its trip, kneading the flesh of my butt for a few seconds before pushing the material of my shirt up and tracing patterns against my back. "I had an arrangement with Bill," he said huskily, his nose tracing down my jaw line. I turned my head granting him more access to my neck. _God, how does he make everything feel so incredible-?_

"Eric…stop it," I groaned trying to roll away from him. I knew if I let him continue on I would be beneath him soon, begging for him to screw my brains out no matter what the consequence. His hand flattened down on my back hard, holding me in place.

"Two weeks, Chase," he muttered simply as if that was supposed to be the reasoning for him touching me the way he was. Had he been celibate that entire time?

"Eric, are you telling me that you haven't had sex since we last did it?" I asked him curiously.

He nipped the skin of my neck, careful not to break skin. "Yes. It feels like an eternity," he growled.

I almost laughed. Two weeks without sex was an eternity to him? Try twenty two years. But had he not had sex because it wouldn't have been with me? I let myself be flattered by the idea of that, but either way it was not happening in my house.

"We can't. My parents are here and if I make a lot of noise they are going to come and check on me and they will know that I am awake if my bedroom light is on and I just don't want to deal with my parents catching me having sex with a vampire just yet."

He pulled away from me, using his vampire speed to rise to his feet, shut off my bedroom light, and return to my bed in less than a second. He gripped my arm turning me over onto my back, his hand sliding up the outside of my thigh and his lips found the skin of my throat again. I whimpered as his tongue swirled over my pulse and I felt him breathe in deeply, taking in my scent before he let it out in a sigh.

"Eric I am being serious. We really can't have sex here."

It didn't sound serious as it came out in a moan filled with yearning and desire. He knew that I wanted him, probably as much as he wanted me, which is why he continued to ignore me and say nothing. His hand found my center finally and he pressed his palm against it, drawing his middle and ring finger up and down between my folds slowly. My hips bucked in response and my breath stopped right in my chest. The pleasure began to stack up in me quickly as if he had been touching me for longer than just a few seconds. I let him work me, my protests having died down as I got lost in the sea of Eric. I began to feel light headed after a few moments, my brain swimming as I felt almost sick to my stomach. My brow furrowed as I wondered what was happening to me.

"Breathe, Chase," he reminded me in a husky whisper, his blue eyes gazing at me through the darkness.

My breath came out in a gush, instantly taking away my light headedness as I took in a few more breaths. The pressure of the pleasure was starting to reach its max, my hips thrusting against his fingers as I started to pant. I tried to close my throat to keep from making noise, my face scrunched up with the effort of trying to keep myself quiet and have an orgasm. Eric kept his eyes locked with mine, the tempo of his fingers increasing, before he dipped both of them inside of me, going deep and right over a spot that made me explode around him.

I shook with the force of it, my whole body trembling as I gushed against him and tightened around his fingers like a vice. I would have yelled with the force of it, but he kissed me, his tongue going deep into my mouth to stifle my cry. I couldn't muster up the brain power to kiss him in return, but he kept his mouth against me until my cry died and I went limp beneath him, my body burning and tingling with aftershocks. He withdrew his fingers from me slowly, his blue eyes gazing at me as I blushed in embarrassment. Only a few minutes could have passed between the time he first touched me, that was all it took for the Master Eric to get me to cum.

"Better?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

I blinked in confusion, pulling my shirt back down to cover my nakedness. "What do you mean?"

"I could sense all the tension in you and I aimed to relieve it," he whispered leaning forward to brush a kiss across my lips. "Just because we cannot have sex here, does not mean I can't pleasure you in other ways."

"Well it worked," I breathed with a sigh. "But how can you sense my tension if the bond isn't working?"

"I can read your body very well," he answered absently tracing his fingertips down my shoulder to my hand.

I huffed and turned on my side to face him, this time he allowed it. I rested my head on my arm, looking up at him as his eyes followed his fingers, up and down my arm. I was amazed that just a few months ago I was a semi normal girl who had her head in books most of the time and had no idea that Eric Northman even existed. Now here I was lying in bed with him, still in post orgasm high and all his attention focused on me. I knew he could have anyone he wanted, and a part of me hoped that he didn't only keep me around because of my abilities and my sweet blood, but the other part of me knew that it was the main part of the reason he did. He should have been with someone like his own kind or someone more beautiful and elegant than me, to match him his own presence.

"I have a favor to ask of you," he whispered making me look at him as I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" I asked feeling excitement rush through me even though I wasn't sure why.

"I am asking that you stay away from Fangtasia until I tell you otherwise," he answered making me frown. "I will come to see you when and if I need too."

I frowned, sitting up and looking down at him, which was awkward because this was the first time I had ever done so. "Why?"

"The bar will be closed for the next few days and I am not allowing anyone inside that is why," he responded sitting up as well. "Do not take offense to it."

I hesitated, still feeling uneasy about him telling me to stay away, what could be happening at Fangtasia that would make him shut down the bar and not allow anyone in, especially not me. My hands began to tingle and I felt the urge to touch him, to invade his thoughts and see what he was keeping from me, which is what my gut screamed for me to do. I ignored it and smiled weakly at him, choosing to trust Eric Northman, the vampire I was slowly falling in love with.

"Okay…what if I need you for something?" I asked tentatively.

"I will come to you nightly," he answered.

"And how will you be able to find me?" I questioned.

"And that reminds me…" he reached for me, pulling me close until I straddled his lap facing him. I let out a soft gasp and resisted the urge to grind myself against him. I knew what was waiting beneath the cotton of his pants and the only thing that was stopping me from molesting him in my bed was the fact that my parents were home…and I was starting to not give a damn.

His fangs unsheathed with a click and then he was kissing me, deeply, passionately, enthusiastically. I tried to keep up with his frantic tongue, my own darting in his mouth between his fangs when it could. His arms came around me tight, crushing me against his chest as I forgot my resistance and grinded myself against him. And then I tasted blood.

My lips parted from his in a gasp for a fraction of a second before his hand was on the back of my neck, pulling me back into his kiss. His tongue slid back into my mouth and with it came the taste of blood, coppery and sweet and stronger than before, electrifying my taste buds. I realized after a few seconds just what was happening. He had cut his own tongue with his fangs and was kissing me to transfer the blood. The uncertainty left me and my hands gripped his neck holding him to me. My mouth searched his tongue out, sucking on it greedily as I moaned against him and felt him harden beneath me.

He finally pulled his mouth away from me, taking the taste of his blood with him, as he let out an animalistic growl and flipped me over so fast I got momentary motion sickness. All my cares left me and apparently him as well as suddenly our only concern was getting each other's clothes off. My blood felt like lava as it moved through me veins, and my heart was thudding against my rib cage. Want, need, desire, lust, whatever you wanted to call it, took me over encasing me like a steel blanket that wasn't leaving until I got full satisfaction.

I squirmed beneath him, trying to get my shirt off as he multitasked between kissing me and unbuttoning his pants. I wasn't having too much luck and once he was finally freed from his pants he pulled away from my kiss to push my shirt over my head. Once it was over my face his mouth was back on mine, his hands at my hips as he positioned himself between my thighs.

I had no time to prepare, and he gave no warning as he thrust into me, making sure to keep his mouth on mine to stifle my loud cry. It hurt, just like the first time, not as much as then, but it hurt just the same and it snapped me out of my crazy animalistic sex daze. He picked up a rhythm instantly, thrusting all the way into me before withdrawing completely and repeating. My nails dug into his flesh and my back arched causing me to break contact with his mouth and a cry to escape my lips. One large hand came up to cover my mouth as his other hand held my hip down to the bed to keep me from moving and his mouth went to my throat.

I bordered on the edge of pleasure and pain. His movements felt incredible and painful all at once and even though there was an orgasm building within me I was preoccupied with worrying about getting caught. The bed wasn't exactly quiet as my mattress squeaked and my head board hit the wall with a small thud in time with each thrust. He growled against my throat, teeth scraping and his hands digging into my flesh. He continued relentlessly taking me higher and higher until I was bursting around him, trembling and sputtering against his hand as my brain and body exploded in orgasm.

Blue eyes caught mine as he finally removed his hand from my mouth and I gasped for more air, having been restricted to just breathing through my nose. I thought he had finished and was thankful, my body felt sore, and my mouth hurt from the pressure of his hand. Not to mention I was exhausted from the orgasm.

"On your knees," he commanded quietly, withdrawing from me.

My brow furrowed. Was he serious? What part of parents in the other room did he _not_ understand? Now was not the time to be initiating a sexcapade for god-.

"Knees, _now_, Chase," he ordered again.

I scrambled to my knees quickly as I heard the urgency in his tone. I blushed with the embarrassment of it and I tried to take the few moments that he was not inside me to reason with him. "Eric, we can't keep going. The bed is making way too much-."

He grabbed my arm, halting my sentence as he yanked me from the bed and pulled the comforter with me. He threw it down on the floor and then I was next, falling to my knees just as he wanted before he was right behind me, hands on my shoulder blade forcing my upper body down until my chest and face were flat against the floor and my butt was high in the air like an offering to him. I tried to squirm and push myself up on my hands not liking how my ass was just in the air for his taking, but his hand remained where it was holding me in place.

"Be still, Chase," he instructed.

He plunged into me without abandon and I bit down on my tongue to keep from crying out. Pain sparked in my mouth and I tasted blood, mine more metallic than Eric's had been. He must have sensed what I had done because his upper body leaned down over my back, his hand grabbing my chin and holding my head to the side so he could capture my mouth. He sucked on my tongue eagerly, just like I had done to him, continuing his thrusts with just as much ease and grace as before. His spit healed my tongue taking away the pain as he released my mouth.

"Eric," I moaned not sure whether I was calling his name for more or for him to stop. I went with more. "More…please…"

I was back on the same line as before, tumbling between pleasure and pain, inches away from an orgasm. He moved expertly, his hands on my hips now, holding me steady as his mouth bit at my shoulder and the back of my neck. My body was coiling, ready to come undone, when I saw the hallway light flick on from the crack beneath my bedroom door. My brain snapped back to attention and I froze, my eyes moving toward the door.

"Shit!" I muttered as Eric froze. I tried to sit up as I heard footsteps shuffling down the hallway toward my bedroom. Eric's hand continued to hold me in place and when I looked at him over my shoulder angrily he held a finger to his lips. I ignored him and tried to sit up again, but it was like trying to move a brick wall. He rolled his hips, hitting just the right spot within me to have my eyes rolling.

There were three quick knocks on my bedroom door, then my mother's voice, sleepy and concerned. "Chase, I keep hearing these weird noises coming from your room, are you okay in there?"

_God dammit._ Eric was still rolling his hips, his length creating a blissful friction with my inner walls, hands holding me still to his ministrations, a devilish smirk on his face. _He's enjoying this…sick bastard. _Maybe if I was real quiet she would go away-

The door knob rattled as Mary tried to open it and I groaned softly. "Chase," she sounded more urgent and concerned now.

Eric's hand came forward to cover my mouth quickly, the other hand holding me down again as he thrust harder and faster, almost nearing vampire speed. My brain fogged from the pleasure of it all, even though I was still panicking slightly, my mother was right at my bedroom door for god sake. I could feel him tense behind me. He leaned back over me, his face right beside mine, his cold tongue licking up the side of my ear.

"Cum for me," he whispered huskily. I heard the click of his fangs unsheathing.

His fangs sunk into the flesh of my neck and I went rocketing over the edge, crying out against his palm as my hips bucked. The orgasm hit me like a wave crashing on the rocks, soaring over me and amplifying with each pull of his mouth. He drank me in, groaning against my throat as he finally came at his next deep thrust and I collapsed to the ground, with his weight over me. I finally started to come down, my breath coming out in heavy pants as I tried to regain control of my body. His hand finally left my mouth as he withdrew from me and rolled to my side, lying on his back with his hands under his head. I on the other hand scrambled to my feet as my mother began knocking repeatedly. I found my shirt in the darkness and pulled it over my head making sure to cover my neck as I unlocked the door and pulled it open enough to peek through. I could see the worry written all over her face, and she rose on tip toe slightly trying to peer into my dark bedroom.

"Hi, mom, it's late, what's up?" I asked quickly, trying to not sound out of breath. My knees were trembling and threatening to give out on me as my body tingled.

"Chase, what took you so long to answer me?"

"Didn't hear you at first, had my headphones in, sorry," I lied quickly, my hand clutching the door frame to keep me standing. "I am fine though. Just tired. I want to go to bed…so is that all?"

She hesitated, but nodded. "Yes…I was just checking on you, sweetie," she said softly although she still did not look convinced. "Good night."

"Okgoodnightmomloveyou!" I shut the door quickly and turned the lock back into place, leaning against the door with a sigh and shutting my eyes.

My eyes opened to find Eric lying on my bed, hands tucked beneath his head, a satisfied smirk across his face. He had removed his shirt and laid it with his coat and pulled my comforter back up over him. I frowned at him and moved toward the bed, crawling on it before whacking him as hard as I could on his arm. He didn't even flinch. I hissed at the pain that shot through my hand. He chuckled.

"What is your problem?" The sex had been amazing as was everything that occurred with Eric, but still. If my door hadn't been locked my mother would have found me in a very compromising position with a vampire. Not cool.

"Did I not satisfy you?" he asked, one eyebrow arching.

"That is NOT the point, Eric."

"It was mine."

I frowned.

"You are bleeding, lover."

I blinked.

_I am bleeding?_

_Wait, did he just call me 'lover'?_

I sat up and brought my hand to my neck, feeling warm liquid still trickling from the wounds. He hadn't healed them, and when I looked at my palm it was smeared red. I frowned at him as he sat up and drew me in closer to his cold bare chest. I couldn't help, but fall into him, my head resting against his shoulder as he buried his faced into my neck. His mouth closed over the wounds, drawing more of my blood for a second before his tongue was sweeping over the wound slowly.

"Since when am I your lover?" I said softly as he pulled away from me, making him smirk.

"Since I have bedded you twice and intend to keep doing so," he answered modestly.

I huffed. At least he was honest. My cell phone began to buzz on the bedside table, making me frown. I rolled away from Eric and retrieved it, checking the caller id to see that it was Sookie. I answered it quickly; it was after midnight which couldn't have been a good thing.

"Hello?"

"Chase, I am sorry to call you so late, but I need to ask you something," she sounded angry. Uh oh.

"Okay…what's up?"

"Did you know about Jessica?" she asked me carefully.

_Crap. _I passed Eric a glare, which made him frown. Apparently Sookie hadn't been in on his and Bill's arrangement, and I had just never had a reason to bring her up to tell Sookie. I assumed she had known.

"Um yeah, she was staying with Eric and Pam," I answered finally. "I found out when I got back into town."

"Aww Chase, why didn't you say anything? Do you know Bill has been keeping this from me for over two weeks? This is just great. First a dead body in the parking lot and now Bill is keeping secrets from me," she ranted.

My brow furrowed. "Wait…did you say there was a dead body in the parking lot? What parking lot?"

Sookie hesitated on the other line. "Some poor woman got her heart cut out and she was put in the back of Andy's car. We found when we went to stop him from leaving…it was horrible…I have never seen that much fear on someone's face."

_Another murder in Bon Temps_? This town was way too small to have people dying left and right. I felt a tingle of fear rush up my back and almost immediately Eric had his arm around me, bringing his cold body closer as if to make me feel secure.

"Who was the woman?" I asked hesitantly. It had to be someone we knew. This town was small. Everyone knew everyone in this town.

"It was the woman who gave Tara's mother that exorcism. The con artist."

My face fell. Tara had told me about her exorcism awhile ago during one of shifts after I heard her and Lafayette talking about it. "Oh my god…is Tara alright?"

"I think so," Sookie answered. "I don't know. I am just going to go home and get some rest. It has been an unbelievably long night. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"Okay, Sookie."

"Goodnight, Chase."

The line went dead and I hung up my cell, rolling back over to face Eric. He had relaxed back into my bed, head cradled on one arm and his blue eyes closed. I sat up and looked down at him as he remained motionless.

"You are angry, lover."

"What kind of arrangement did you and Bill have regarding Jessica and why didn't Sookie know about it?" I asked crossing my arms.

"I will not discuss my business arrangements with you," he answered calmly. "They are none of your concern. What goes on between Sookie and Bill need not affect our involvement. He should have been the one to tell her, not you or myself."

"So Bill is keeping stuff from Sookie and now you are keeping stuff from me?" I asked making him finally open his eyes.

"I tell you what you need to know," he answered sternly.

I huffed. I knew what that meant. He told me what was convenient for me to know. There were probably a world of things that he was keeping from me that I had no idea about. "Eric, if we are going to do this then I need to know everything," I shook my head. "I am not going to be your fang banging bimbo. You can't just show up when you want and have sex with me and drink my blood and think that I am not going to want to know things about you and what you do. So either you agree to _include _me into things and not keep things from or you can leave and don't come back."

He actually looked surprised as he sat up and gazed at me. I was being bold, I knew it. But he had given me an ultimatum early and now it was my turn. I fully expected him to get up off the bed and go storming out of the window that he had come in from, but he remained still, staring right at me. My pulse was throbbing in my head and I had stopped breathing again.

"Fine," he said lying back down after a moment. His eyes shut and he rested his head on his arm again.

I raised an eyebrow. "Fine?"

"Yes, fine, I will tell and include you in things," he said with a small shrug.

I blinked. He was giving you in way to easily. "And you won't keep things from me?"

"I will not keep things from you."

"Promise?"

"Do not push it, lover. Now lie down and go to sleep," he ordered grabbing my arm and yanking me down.

I lay down beside him, snuggling closer to his chest feeling as if it could be possible for me to have a serious relationship with Eric like Sookie and Bill had. We had a lot of kinks to work out first, but if I always felt this good in his arms I would be content.

I just hoped that for once Eric was telling the truth.


	5. Scratches

A/N: Greetings faithful readers! I am sorry that I did not update daily as promised but my muse was being stingy. Anyway this is somewhat of a filler chapter, but it has important plot points in it as well so read it anyway. There are no lemons though as much I hate not too include it, but there is Eric. New and improved season 2 Eric, which is my favorite by far in comparison to season one. That platinum blonde wig of his was just tragic lol anywho…please read and review. I will update again tomorrow and try to keep it steady from there….thanks! :D 

* * *

Chapter Four: Scratches

As expected when I awoke in the morning Eric was gone. We had stayed up late, mostly in silence as I lay in his arms, marveling at the stillness of his sculpted chest and how he went for hours without breathing once. I didn't know what else we were supposed to do on these late night visits. It was the first time he hadn't come to me because he was on psychotic vampire or human killer watch. He was just…there to be with me I guess. Either way I didn't know how to keep a vampire entertained. The thought of him coming to visit me every night made me panic a little. What would we do? He was bored by the idea of television and I was sure that he wasn't interested in talking about my mundane day to day life so I just lay in his arms quietly. We could not have sex with my parents in my home, and I was too shy to ask him to tell me about his past so instead we did nothing. It was almost awkward, but he did not complain. He seemed to enjoy the stillness and quiet of being in my presence.

I had been up so late that I had slept right through the morning and well into the afternoon. I only had an hour before having to go work, which didn't leave me a lot of time to get ready and drive there. I showered quickly and put on my uniform for the first time in two weeks before eating some toast and heading to work. When I arrived I found the place was pretty busy and went to put my stuff in Sam's office right away. I walked in without thinking to knock and hesitated when I saw Sam standing with a young woman with light brown hair. They both turned to me and I halted in the doorway, blushing. What had I just walked in on?

"Hey, Chase," Sam said with a nervous smile. "It's good to see you back."

I smiled awkwardly and nodded as he came towards me and offered me a hug. I returned it. "It's good to be back…I heard about the murder from Sookie, that's terrible," I said quietly glancing at the girl still standing there.

Sam sighed. "Yeah, I know," he said softly. "This is uh Daphne. She is going to be working here with us."

I blinked in surprise, looking at her before extending a hand for her to shake. She took it and her thoughts washed over me instantly. They were too random and scattered to truly decipher, and some of them were blurred as if she herself had a hard time figuring out just what they were. I pulled my hand away from her with a small gasp and looked at her with a slight frown, she returned it. I didn't like what I had seen. I had never really seen jumbled thoughts like that in someone's head. At least not as bad as hers.

"I'm Chase," I said finally after recovering. "It's nice to meet you."

She smiled. It didn't reach her eyes. "Nice to meet you too."

"I am going to get to work," I said forcing a smile on my face before moving to the shelves and putting my things on them. I put my apron on and headed out of the office catching sight of Sookie at the pickup window.

I approached her carefully not sure if she was still mad at me or not. She smiled at me as I came closer which I took as a good sign. "You know Sam is hiring another waitress?" I asked softly as she placed her orders on a tray.

She nodded. "I guess Arlene talked him into it. We could use an extra pair of hands for when one of us has a day off I suppose."

I shrugged. It was true. When things got busy in here it was like hell, and one of us needed a day off every now and then. "So you mad at Bill huh? About the Jessica thing?"

She immediately looked aggravated and I felt bad. "I just can't believe he hadn't told me. All the stuff that he and I share and talk about and not once does he mention her," she ranted as she began moving towards the tables. I followed after her. "I just think that he shouldn't keep things from me. If I am going to be his girlfriend then I need to know everything."

I huffed. Sounded like exactly what I had told Eric last night. "Well I thought you knew," I admitted.

"Well I didn't," she said angrily. "And don't worry Chase I am not mad at you. I am just surprised that you didn't mention it either."

I shrugged again. "It never came up."

"Yeah well it just adds to one more thing that's going on around here. I found out my great uncle died today…and I think Bill had something to do with it," she said quietly.

I frowned. "You do?"

She nodded. "Yes I do."

"Excuse me, ma'am can I get my order taken over here?"

I sighed as I turned and saw one of my table's customers looking at me impatiently. "We can talk about this more later," Sookie insisted. "Go on and get to work."

The next few hours flew by quickly just like a blur. I was constantly on my feet and barely able to take a break even with Sookie and Arlene working too. I would be glad when Daphne started working, even if she did have a weird thoughts and I wasn't too sure if I liked her. I was glad when the sun set, it meant that I was just getting that much closer to seeing Eric and I begun to count down the hours until I was off.

My night was going fairly smooth until a person I was nowhere near ready to face walked through the door. Jason Stackhouse. My stomach sunk and I had to grip the edge of the bar as my knees threatened to give out. I hadn't seen him since he was last in jail and I had not been able to square things away with hi m either. Judging from the way his brown eyes widened I assumed that he had thought that I had skipped town for good or truly hadn't expected to see me at Merlotte's. I didn't know what to do as I stood there, my eyes locked with his, so I did the first thing that came to mind. I waved. He didn't return it. He tore his eyes away from me and followed Hoyt to a table that was in Sookie's section before sitting down. I decided that it might just be better if I didn't talk to him at all.

The whole town was still buzzing over the death of the con artist woman, Ms. Jeanette or whatever her name was, and it seemed to be the talk of the restaurant. I could hear people whispering about being able to smell the blood in the parking lot still or about the vampires bringing Renee-Drew Marshall-back from the dead and it was him who had murdered her. Arlene had heard the comments first hand, and naturally they made her very upset given her attachment and relationship to Renee, and half the restaurant watched in surprise as Terry came to her rescue and kicked the couples out who had been talking about it. Sookie and I both agreed after that, that it was only a matter of time before Terry and Arlene became a couple.

Sookie decided to leave early and go talk things out with Bill once things began to slow down and I fully agreed. The only annoyance that was left in the building was Andy Bellefleur who was drunkenly harassing the customers trying to "clear his name" about the murder in the parking lot. I was thankful when Sherriff Bud put a stop to it before I committed murder and bashed Andy's head in with my tray.

I was trying to escape the noise and the busyness of the restaurant and Andy's harassment when I bumped right into Jason on my way to the bathroom. I jumped in surprise, looking up at him as his hands caught me by the shoulders to keep me from falling. Once he realized it was me his hands left me immediately and his face fell. I blushed as I felt my stomach drop. I didn't know what to say or do so I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Hi…Jason…" I said slowly.

"Uh...hey Chase," he said glancing away from me to the floor; he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"How have you been?" I didn't know what else to say to him. How could I explain myself? How could I apologize for hurting him and have him know that I meant it?

He nodded. "I have been great…" he answered smiling weakly. "I uh…am going to a church thing in Baton Rouge soon. I am trying to change my life a bit…find Jesus and all that."

I nodded. I was a little surprised. I didn't see Jason as the church going type, but if he wanted to make changes for the better then I was both happy and proud of him. "That's great, Jason," I said with a smile. "That is really great."

"Yeah…it is. How about you?…You still seeing that vampire?" he asked me hesitantly.

I sighed. Of course he would ask. I could hear the hope in his voice. Hope that I wasn't, but I was and for the time being I was happy with that decision. "Yes actually I am," I said softly.

"Are you happy?"

I nodded. "Yes…Eric makes me happy…in his own way."

Jason smiled. I could see it was forced, his entire face looked strained and it didn't reach his eyes the way his genuine smiles did. "Well, that's good for you. I hope everything-."

"Chase, you've got a phone call."

I turned at the sound of Tara's voice and found her peeking her head down the hall. I frowned at her. Who would be calling me at work? I did have a cell phone. "Who is it?" I asked her feeling a little panic sweep through me. My mind instantly snapped to the worst thing possible my brother or parents or Eric being hurt.

"Some guy named Eric Northman," Tara shrugged. "Should I tell him to call back or something?"

Jason's face fell just the slightest and I blushed deeper, but I couldn't ignore the thrill that rushed through me at the mention of Eric being on the phone for me. But why on earth would he be calling me at work "No, I'm coming," I said not taking my eyes off Jason. "It was good talking with you Jason…maybe sometime in the future we can hang out?"

He only nodded which I didn't take as a good sign. I rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly. He had been a great guy to me during our brief relationship and I had truly liked him. But he wasn't Eric. He tensed in surprise, but his arms came around me hesitantly and he sighed, putting his face into the crook of my neck. It felt nice. I couldn't lie. I pulled away from him after a moment when it got awkward and offered him a small smile which he hesitantly returned.

"Good luck with your church thing," I offered.

I moved away from him, walking quickly to the bar and picking up the phone that sat by the register.

I put the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Good evening, lover," his voice even sounded sexy being transmitted through a phone. I smiled, my awkward moment with Jason completely forgotten.

"Hello, Eric," I responded softly turning my back to Tara as I caught her watching me. "Any particular reason you are calling me at work?"

"I am calling to inform you that I will be unable to come to you tonight," he replied calmly, he _almost_ sounded regretful.

I frowned. "Why not?"

"I have business to attend to," he answered. "I will be busy for most of the night."

I huffed, my lip coming out in a pout. "And what is so important that will be keeping you preoccupied for the _whole_ evening?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Paperwork and inventory," he answered without missing a beat. "And a meeting with a few associates of mine to discuss business; Fangtasia business."

I was surprised that he had answered so quickly and honestly. Where was the icy asshole Eric I knew and sometimes hated? "You are willingly reporting your itinerary to me, Eric? I do believe you are going soft on me," I whispered playfully.

He chuckled, low and sexy. "Quite the opposite, lover. And I will be more than willing to prove it to you tomorrow night."

I giggled excitedly. I couldn't stop myself. _God what is happening to me?_ I had to end this phone call before I started melting into a puddle."I have to get back to work, Eric," I said after a moment. "Thank you for the informational phone call."

"You are welcome," he replied seductively. How could he manage to make everything sound so sexy when he wasn't saying anything sexual? "Stay out of trouble," he added, his voice now stern.

"I will, Eric," I replied rolling my eyes. "Goodbye."

I hung the phone up, a smile still on my face as I turned back to find Tara still watching me with a sly smile on her face. I felt my cheeks flame as she stepped towards me expectantly. Tara and I didn't talk much, but I still considered her a friend. I liked her "I don't give a shit" attitude.

"So who is Eric?" she asked finally raising an eyebrow as I began to fidget with my apron. I felt like a spotlight had been flashed on me.

"He is…a guy I am seeing…I think," I answered. My face scrunched up. I didn't know how else to describe him. He had made it obviously clear that we are not boyfriend and girlfriend and that we are 'bonded', but how do you tell someone that? "He's a vampire."

Tara's face fell slightly, but her smile remained. "You and Sookie sure do have a lot in common. How do you telepaths wind up with these vampires?" she asked jokingly in a hushed whisper.

I shrugged. "I don't know, but he…he is something else."

Tara huffed. "I bet."

We heard the bell above the entrance door ring and both of us turning to look to see who it was. It was a tall young looking African American man accompanied by an older mature looking woman. She was just as beautiful as he was handsome. She looked more exotic and when her eyes fell on Tara and me she smiled brightly. Both the woman and the man made a beeline straight for the bar and I felt Tara tense next to me.

"Maryann, Egg's, what are you doing here?" Tara asked as they reached the bar.

"I have a little meeting with Sam," Maryann answered with a bright smile before looking at me. "And who is this beautiful young lady?"

"Oh this is Chase, the one I told you about," Tara said glancing at me as I raised an eyebrow. Just what exactly had she told this Maryann woman about me? "Chase, this is Maryann and Egg's, my roommates."

I smiled, remembering her mentioning that she had moved out of her mother's house and was living with a really nice woman. "Egg's?" I said looking at the young man. "That's a…unique name?"

The young man, Egg's, smiled widely. He must get that a lot. "Actually it's Benedict."

"Ohhhh," I said once I got the joke. I laughed. "Egg's Benedict right?"

He nodded as he chuckled too. "Yeah exactly."

Maryann got my attention as she took my hand, her thoughts rushing me with an intensity unlike I had ever felt. It was just words and chanting, no images, words and chanting that seemed very familiar, but I could not put my finger on. It sounded like some ancient language that she was just repeatedly saying over and over in her mind. I did my best to keep a straight face and pulled my hand away slowly to not arouse suspicion and forced a small smile.

"You are truly a remarkable girl, Chase," she said looking at me with those deep eyes of hers. I resisted the urge to cringe. She was really creeping me out. "Tara told me about the ordeal that you and Sookie went through with that horrible serial killer and I find it absolutely remarkable that you are even functioning after an experience like that."

I forced the smile to remain on my face, unable to stop thinking about the chanting in her head. _Where had I heard that before? _It was going to drive me nuts trying to figure it out. "Thank you…that's very err…nice of you to say," I said with a nod.

She just continued to stare at me, making me feel uncomfortable. I decided to make my exit quickly. "Well I am off in a few minutes so I better start my side work," I breathed. "It was nice to meet you guys."

Egg's and Maryann nodded as I walked away as fast as I could making it out of sight before stopping at the pickup window. Terry spotted me and I must have had a weird look on my face because he approached the window looking concerned.

"Everything okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah… but this town is just getting weirder and weirder."

Terry huffed. "Tell me about it."

* * *

I spent an uneventful night alone in my room trying to plan a trip to Dallas to go to the children's home I had been adopted from. The plane ticket alone and a stay at a hotel would cost one of my entire paychecks-and that was including a couple hours of overtime-and to rent a car and be able to eat and pay for gas and etc. that would be another pay check. I just wouldn't be able to make the trip any time soon and would have to put it off.

Sam had given me the next day off so Daphne could train and even though I wanted to start saving for my trip to Dallas I figured a day at home could do me some good. I got caught up on sleep and cleaned my room as well as did some much needed laundry. I spent some time with Isaac and my parents like we all used to back in Austin before I moved to Bon Temps and things got weird. No one talked about murders, or vampires, or me being adopted. It was just one big happy family hanging out eating lunch and watching a few movies. It was like old times, times that I missed a lot. My parents turned in for the night early like they always did and my brother did too. I took a shower and put on a pair sweats and a tank top, crawling into bed to read a book and wait for Eric.

* * *

"Chase."

I jerked awake at the sound of my name, my book fell off my chest from where it was resting and I sat up looking around to find out who was in my room. It was Eric, standing right at my bed side…and he looked completely different. He had cut his long blonde hair and also dyed it a darker color with highlights, and was wearing slicked back from his face in one graceful wave. It brought out the sexiness of his face in a whole new way that immediately had heat flooding my body. He was wearing grey pants and black sweat suit jacket with blue stripes down the arm and no shirt underneath. There was a chain hanging from his neck with a copper colored claw hanging from it, something that I hadn't noticed before.

"Eric," I breathed looking him up and down. "You look…." I trailed off. Was there really a word to truly describe his magnificence?

"It's the _new_ me," he said simply. One eyebrow arched. "You like?"

I licked my lips. Was my mouth watering? "Yes…I do actually," I admitted with a nod.

He smirked and sat down on the edge of the bed beside me. "I apologize for being late," he said glancing at my clock. My eyes followed his and I saw that it was only nearing ten o' clock. "I had some business to attend too."

I nodded again, not bothering to ask what the business had been this time. I was learning to trust him. He hadn't lied to me yet, which I was grateful for. "Oh…It's okay," was all I could think to say.

"How was your day?"

I blinked at the question, looking at him surprised. He actually sounded as if he was genuinely interested.

"Um… it was good," I answered nodding slowly. "I just hung around home and did laundry and spent some time with the folks and my brother. Nothing especially fantastic."

"How is your brother's leg?"

"It's fine. Healing very slowly which is driving him nuts, because he isn't the type to just lay around all day."

"Pam was quite taken with him, you know. Perhaps she will offer her blood to speed up the healing process?"

I huffed, shaking my head. "I will not let Isaac become one of Pam's humans. That's just creepy."

He chuckled and reached for my face, brushing his fingertips along the side of my cheek. I pursed my lips so I wouldn't moan. "Now what is so wrong with being a vampire's human?" he asked me softly as he leaned in close. "You seem to enjoy it."

I couldn't bring myself to answer him as I found his lips barely an inch from mine. I stopped breathing, my eyes closing as my heart begun to thud in my chest, anticipating his lips making contact with mine, when I heard a cell phone buzzing. My eyes snapped open as I pulled away from him, my eyes looking toward the bedside table where my phone sat. It was not mine. I looked back to Eric and found him retrieving a cell phone from his pocket with a sigh. He answered it.

"Speak."

His face fell seconds later and I frowned, wondering what had happened that could make him have such a reaction. "Meet me at Fangtasia. I am on my way," he hung up the phone, still not looking at me as he dialed another number in his cell and pressed it back to his ear. He waited a few moments before beginning to speak again. "Dr. Ludwig, it is Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5, I need your assistance with a certain situation. Can you meet me at my establishment as soon as possible?" he paused again listening. He hung up without giving any response and turned blue eyes on me as I frowned. "I have to go."

"What? Why? What happened?" I asked quickly watching him rise to his feet. "Who was that?"

"I will return later tonight," he said as he reached my window and lifted it. "If there is time."

"Eric!" I said loudly making him halt, forgetting about my sleeping parents. I instantly lowered my voice as I continued. "This is exactly what we talked about the other night. What is going on?"

Eric frowned as he looked at me. I got the feeling that he was going to tell me to shove it and mind my own damn business, but he didn't. "That was Bill. Sookie Stackhouse was attacked by some creature."

My stomach dropped as I jumped to my feet. "Sookie is hurt? Is she okay?"

"That is what I am going to find out," he said turning back to the window and sticking one leg through. I hesitated slightly. Since when had he been so concerned with Sookie's welfare? "I will call you when I know something."

"No, I am coming with you," I said walking to my closet, reaching for my coat and sliding on my flip flops. I turned off my bedroom light and locked the door before I walked to him.

Eric frowned and shook his head as he straddled my window sill. "No, Chase. You will stay here."

I put my hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle push so that he slipped through completely and then I followed him out, not landing nearly as graceful as him. He stared down at me with disapproval, but I didn't care. If Sookie was in trouble then I was coming along. I considered her a good friend and I had to be sure that she was okay.

"I am going and that is the final word," I said determinedly.

He continued to frown as he stepped toward and lifted me into his arms, wedding style. I gasped a little and wrapped my arms around his neck, even though I was pretty sure he wouldn't drop me.

"Hold on tightly and shut your eyes. I will not have you vomiting on me," he said simply.

I hesitated. "What are you talking about? Why would I vomit on you?"

"Because I am going to run to Shreveport."

He moved then, running at full vampire speed, the wind whipping against my face full force. I shut my eyes immediately, putting my face in the crook of his neck. It felt like riding a roller coaster, my stomach flopping every time he made a turn or jumped over something. It lasted only ten minutes before he stopped so abruptly I felt my stomach wrench. I covered my mouth quickly as my dinner threatened to come up. Eric set me on my feet carefully, holding my hips until he was sure that I could support myself.

"Jesus Christ," I gasped clutching my chest. I could feel my heart pounding. I swallowed hard a few times to make sure that I was not going to puke.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded. He moved past me quickly, stalking into Fangtasia as I followed behind him. Bill was already inside, sitting at one of the tables with Sookie cradled in his arms like a baby, her head lulled back as she was unconscious. Bill's face brightened with panic as Eric and I walked in, I could tell that he was thinking that she was going to die. I rushed to him quickly looking down at Sookie. Her face was pale and her mouth was smeared with blood and spittle.

"Oh my god, Bill," I said looking him in the eye. "What the hell happened?"

Bill shook his head. "I truly have no idea. She said she was attacked by a bull human."

I frowned. A bull human? What the hell was a bull human? The entrance door to Fangtasia open and shut making me turn to see who had come inside. It was woman...a really really short old looking woman. She was wearing scrubs and a colorful scrub cap as well carrying a black medical case with her. She didn't look to happy to be in Fangtasia as she came shuffling toward us.

"Good evening, Dr. Ludwig," Eric said politely.

"What seems to be the problem?" she asked irritably looking up at Eric. "I don't have all night."

Bill spoke up, rising to his feet with Sookie in his arms. "She was attacked by some creature," he explained lifting Sookie slightly so Dr. Ludwig could see three long claw marks down Sookie's back.

Dr. Ludwig frowned. "Lie her down," she said moving toward a back less couch. She knelt beside it, still managing to remain taller than it with her short stature. "Get a towel."

Eric sauntered over to the bar, reaching underneath the counter to retrieve a large towel before handing it back to Dr. Ludwig. I could only stand on the side lines and watch as Bill took Sookie's coat off and layed her face down on top of the backless couch on the towel. Dr. Ludwig shooed him away leaving Bill to stand on the sidelines next to me, arms clenched tightly to his chest and his face scrunched in concern. Eric slid onto a chair at the foot of the backless couch, looking at Sookie's limp body blankly. It surprised me that he had jumped up so quickly to run to her and Bill's aid. I thought he hadn't liked Bill very much and I knew for a fact that Sookie was not fond of Eric at all, even though she seemed encouraging about my involvement with him.

Dr. Ludwig pulled out a pair of scissors cutting the back of Sookie's tank top, then her bra strap before revealing her wounds. They were long, three of them, dragging from her shoulder blade to her lower back. They were gaping and bulbous, and I had to turn away as I felt my stomach do a flop. When I finally mustered the courage to look back Dr. Ludwig was pulling on a pair of gloves, and Sookie was blinking herself awake. She looked around groggily from the doctor to Bill and then me before looking back at Dr. Ludwig.

"What kind of doctor are you?" Sookie asked sleepily.

"The healing kind," Dr. Ludwig answered simply. "My name is Dr. Ludwig. What's yours-?"

I jumped as Sookie let out a scream. Dr. Ludwig had pulled something from one of her wounds. "Sookie," she coughed as she recovered. She sounded absolutely pitiful. "Sookie Stackhouse…Am I dying?"

"Yes," Dr. Ludwig answered absently as she examined whatever she had pulled from Sookie's back.

My face fell and Bill jumped forward angrily. "No! She cannot die. You _will_ save her," he ordered.

Dr. Ludwig seemed unphased. "Back off vampire, let me do my job."

"Forgive him," Eric deadpanned. "Bill is abnormally attached to this human."

I frowned at him as he locked eyes with me. Abnormally attached? Is that what he considered our relationship to be? I raised an eyebrow at him and he passed me a quick wink that I only I saw. I continued to frown. So it was only convenient for him to have feelings for me in private? Oh, he and I were in need of a good talk. Between the jumping to Sookie's aid and now the abnormal attachment comment he and I had some things to clarify.

"Well," Dr. Ludwig said in a finaling tone making all our attention snap back to her. "We don't have a lot of choices. She's been poisoned."

Bill and I frowned. "Poisoned?" I voiced. "Poisoned by what?"

"Have you ever heard of komodo dragons?" Dr. Ludwig asked. She didn't wait for an answer. "Their mouths are teeming with bacteria. After one has bitten you it will track you for hours, days, just waiting for the toxins to slowly eat away at your nervous system till your good and helpless. And then it will devour you alive."

_That does not sound pleasant. _Sookie visibly flinched, her face scrunched in either pain or confusion. "I was scratched by a dragon?" she coughed.

"No. But this poison is similar, but way more efficient," Dr. Ludwig answered. "I think I have seen it before, but it's hard to tell without further testing, but we don't have that kind of time. Give us some privacy I need to remove her clothing."

Sookie looked up helplessly right at Bill, she seemed terrified. He came to her side touching her shoulder. "I will be right outside," he promised. "I am so sorry."

"She is running out of time, Mr. Compton," Dr. Ludwig warned.

Bill rose to his feet turning to follow Eric who had started for his office. Eric stopped when he saw that I had not moved and beckoned me over with one hand. I shook my head. I didn't want to leave Sookie alone in a time like this with some creepy midge doctor she didn't know. I wouldn't want to be alone in the situation if it was me.

"I am going to stay with Sookie and help," I said dropping my purse and moving to kneel by Sookie's head. She had begun choking on her own white spittle, it was frothing out of her mouth. I reached for the edge of the towel beneath her and wiped it away best I could.

Eric and Bill left the room and I took one of Sookie's hands, holding it tightly to let her know I was here with her. Dr. Ludwig continued her job, completely ignoring me as she cut off the rest of Sookie's shirt and bra and pulled it from her body. I averted my eyes to the floor as she continued to work, not sure that I could stomach watching what she was doing. A long moment passed of silence as my mind wandered to what could have attacked Sookie that looked like a bull human and had poisonous claws. It was scary to think that there was something like this running around the local area. What if-

Sookie screamed bloody murder snapping me out of my thoughts. I jumped as she squeezed my hand tightly, sparking pain as I saw Dr. Ludwig pouring some clear liquid into her wounds that sizzled and bubbled. Sookie was squirming now, screaming out loudly in pain, her hand clenching mine so tightly I thought she was going to break it. I heard quick footsteps behind me and assumed that it was Bill or Eric rushing in to see what all the screaming was about.

"What are you doing to her?" Bill asked angrily as he came running into my view.

"Hold her down! Or let her die, your choice," Dr. Ludwig replied still pouring the bubbling liquid into Sookie's wounds.

Bill came rushing forward wrenching my hand from Sookie's as carefully and quickly as he could. I crawled away allowing him to take my place so he could hold her down, jumping to my feet as soon as I was well out of the way. I rushed into Eric's arms, one of his wrapping around my waist as I buried my face into his chest. I covered my ears. I couldn't stand the sound of Sookie's screams or continue to listen to the way her skin sizzled. It was making me feel sick to my stomach.

An hour passed of Sookie's screaming. I had stayed pressed into Eric's body the entire time, trying to ignore the sounds as much as I could. It didn't work. When Sookie finally stopped screaming I was so relieved that I let it out in a heavy sigh and pulled away to look at Dr. Ludwig's completed work. She was cleaning Sookie off with a towel and her once gaping wounds looked like barely deep scratches. Sookie was barely semiconscious and Bill was at her side, brushing his fingers across her cheek.

"You can give her your blood now," Dr. Ludwig said absently as she shut her case and held it at her side. "The poison should be gone."

Bill pulled his hand away from Sookie preparing to lift it to his mouth when Eric appeared right beside him, gripping his wrist tightly. "Mine is much stronger. Allow me," Eric said softly fangs exposed.

Bill frowned and so did I. Since when was Eric so eager to pass out his blood to Sookie? I got the feeling that something was going on that I wasn't aware of and it was really starting to piss me off. I thought back to the night I had gone to see Eric, when the police had raided the building, when he was sitting with Sookie and Bill. He had been staring at her the way he stared at me, that intrigued and in awe look. The exact same way he was looking at her right now as he held Bill's wrist to keep him at bay and offered to give his own blood to Sookie. He wanted to have a bond with her. My teeth clenched and I turned on my heel. I needed some air so that I wouldn't try and fail at ripping Eric Northman's head off.

I went walking out of the building making sure to shut the door quietly behind me. I walked around the back of the building where the dumpsters were and my usual parking spot, before leaning against the wall. I took a deep breath as I mulled over the thoughts in my head.

_Why on earth would he want to give Sookie his blood? _

_Is it because he has to just control everything?_

_Is it because he is interested in her like he's "interested" in me?_

A sick feeling crept up in my gut as I thought about the fact that Sookie and I had the same power, but unlike her I was up for grabs, while she was in a relationship with Bill. Is that all I was too him? Just the _other_ telepath that wasn't already taken; the one he could have and use and sleep with? I sighed.

_God, I feel like such an idiot. Here I am thinking that he actually cares for me and wants to have something with me and I am just second choice-._

"Sookie was just attacked by a poisonous creature that is somewhere in the immediate area and here you are in the dark alley alone. Do you have a death wish, lover?"

I jumped slightly at the sound of Eric's voice and turned to find him gazing at me with both an amused and concerned expression on his face. I forced a smile; I wasn't ready to have the "Am I just second choice to you" conversation just yet.

"Is Sookie alright now?"

"Bill has given her his blood and she is completely healed and resting. They will be staying here in the bar for the day," he answered stepping closer to me.

"And what about the bull human thing?" I asked curiously. "Do we call animal control or something? What if it hurts someone else?"

"I have Pam and Chow working on that," he said finally reaching me and brushing a stray strand of hair from my face. "You need not worry about it."

I nodded and shied away from his touch as casually as I could, of course he noticed and frowned. "What's the matter?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," I lied. "I am going to go inside and check on Sookie."

I moved around him, walking briskly back to the entrance of Fangtasia. I jumped when I found him right in front of him, stopping only half an inch from bumping into him. I lifted my head slowly looking into his blue eyes. His face was blank except for one curiously arched eyebrow. _Shit._ He knows something is wrong. I completely forgot about our bond. He could feel all my doubt and worry and insecurity. I just was glad that he could not see my thoughts.

"I don't want to talk Eric. Shouldn't you be taking me home so that you can get home before the sun rises," I asked.

"I still have four hours before the sun rises," he responded. "Besides I will not be taking you home."

I frowned. "Why the hell not?"

"Because you are coming home with me."


	6. Broken Promises

A/N: Hey guys. I am so sorry for the long wait. I broke my wrist and was unable to write of course, but now I am semi healed and able to at least type so here is another update. I will try and keep them coming as frequently as possible! Anyway let me know what you think and sorry about the wait!

Chapter Five: Broken Promises

There was something more to this situation and I knew it. Eric was not the kind to just run to someone's aid unless he had 'emotions invested in the involvement' as he was always saying or if he wanted something in return. I had a feeling that Eric had 'emotions invested' in Sookie that he wasn't telling me about. It all made sense. Bill had already taken Sookie and I knew that Eric valued things that could be used and manipulated and that had something special about them, and right now that was me. I was standing there staring at him, as he told me that he wanted me to come home with him and even though my body was screaming to accept the offer-I mean come on I knew he planned to give me probably the best sex of my entire life if I went home with him-my heart and mind were telling me no. I was no longer going to stand around and continue to be second choice. I was better than that. I knew it.

"I don't want to go home with you, Eric," I said quickly crossing my arms over my chest. "I know that you have feelings for Sookie."

The smirk left Eric's face and left him with a blank expression. "Chase, you are mistaken."

"I am?" I said with a raised eyebrow. Hope filled me up quickly. _Please let me be mistaken. Please let me be mistaken. I want him to want me. _

"Yes, I do not have feelings for Sookie Stackhouse," he answered coolly.

I hesitated. "And how am I supposed to believe you?"

He stepped closer to me, closing all the space between us as one of his arms slid around my waist hugging me against his hard body. I tilted my head back to maintain eye contact as he looked at me seriously.

"You are just going to have to trust me, Chase," he responded softly.

I wanted too. I really did. Every ounce and atom of me wanted to trust me, but there was still that feeling in my gut that I was missing something. But was I truly willing to sacrifice him for a small amount of doubt when he really truly hadn't done anything to sway me from trusting him? _NO._ I wrapped my arms around his neck and rose on tip toe, still not managing to reach his lips, he met me halfway kissing me softly. I wanted this, I wanted him, but I felt I still couldn't ignore my own feelings.

"I think I should just go home tonight, Eric," I said softly pulling away from his mouth with a sigh.

He was frowning again. "Chase-."

I held up my hand. "Please…I just want to go home. I have some things to think about."

His jaw clenched but he nodded and lifted me carefully into his arms. I tucked my face into the crook of his neck and then he was off into the night. The world just a blur around me.

* * *

I slept through the rest of the night and right into the day. I didn't awake till near sunset when my cell phone rang on my bedside table. I rolled over groggily reaching for it and answering without checking the caller id.

"Hello?"

"Chase?"

I sat up instantly, no longer sleepy. I recognized the voice and was relieved to hear it. "Sookie? Oh my god. It is so good to hear your voice," I said with a sigh. "Where are you?"

"At Fangtasia, you need to get down here right away before the sun sets. I have to show you something," she said softly, but urgently.

My heart skipped a few beats. "What is it?"

"Just hurry," she said before the line clicked.

I hopped out of bed without another thought, rushing to my bathroom and taking a quick shower. I changed into some shorts and a tank top before sliding on my sneakers and pulling my hair into a pony tail. I rushed out the front door ignoring my parents questions of if I was okay and what was wrong before hopping into my car. I had no idea what Sookie wanted to show me, but she insisted that I be there before sunset and I had less than an hour by the time I was on the road.

I finally reached Fangtasia with thirty minutes to spare till sunset and burst through the door, surprised to find Sookie sitting with Ginger in one of the booths. She slid out the minute she saw me, rushing over clad in only one large red Fangtasia t-shirt and her white sneakers. She took my hand and ran towards a door behind the bar, pushing it open before yanking me after her.

It smelt like something had died in the room and I could hear the constant drip of water somewhere in the basement. I could barely see and it took my eyes a moment to adjust as I went down the stairs after Sookie and reached a landing. I could see dried blood stains on the ground the stench of the room hit me stronger. Where the hell was she taking me?

"Sookie-," I started.

And then I saw him. Lafayette sitting on the ground leaned against a stone pillar. He was wearing a pair of army styled pants and nothing else and he looked filthy. I rushed to him with Sookie after me and saw the fang marks on his chest and the paleness of his skin. He was unconscious, with his head slumped against his chest. He looked terrible. My stomach sunk as I put my hand on his arm, feeling his cold clammy skin.

"Oh my god what the hell happened to him?" I asked looking back at Sookie. I had a feeling that I already knew, but I was still giving Eric the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Pam had done this without Eric's knowing or the fat Asian-god who I was kidding? This was Eric through and through. _He lied to me. Right to my face. That asshole. _

"Eric happened to him," Sookie answered me angrily. "Please tell me you didn't know about this."

My face fell. How could she even think that? "Of course not, Sookie, gosh. I would have never let this happen if I had known he was down here or that Eric was going to do this-."

It made sense. The gut feeling I had about him keeping things from me. This was the reason why he didn't want me coming to Fangtasia. He had not only lied to me, but kidnapped my friend and stuck him in the basement for god knows how long after feeding off of him and doing god knows what else. Everything he had said about keeping me involved in things had been a lie and all the sweet phone calls letting me know what he was going to be busy and unable to see me were just to keep me from being suspicious.

_And then he had the nerve to tell me to trust him last night. He probably _does_ have feelings for Sookie! I can't put anything past him now. God I am such a fool. _

I felt anger swirl in me and with it came the same energy, flooding me with intensity that I hadn't felt the last times. I clenched my fists, trying to keep it at bay so I did not hurt Lafayette and Sookie.

"Where's the key to get him out?"

"Only Eric has it," Sookie answered with a frown. "Gosh, Chase, I can't believe he did this."

I huffed. "Trust me Sookie neither can I."

"We should get back upstairs. The sun is setting and Eric will be here soon," Sookie said.

My fists clenched in anger and I gave Lafayette one last look over before rising to my feet and heading for the stairs with Sookie following after me. The energy was swarming within me, waiting to be let out, hissing at the control I had over it. I was surprised that I had managed to contain it this long, but I kept a tight rein on it, not wanting to harm Sookie or anyone else besides Eric right now. I was furious beyond reason, there was no explaining this. He had lied to me, right to my face on numerous occasions, and who knows what he would have done to Lafayette if Sookie had not found out. I was convinced now that Eric truly had no soul. He was unremorseful and just plain cruel and I had let him take advantage of me. But no more.

Half an hour passed of silence between Sookie and I as the sun set and then we waited for Bill and Eric to show up. The energy hadn't left me the entire time and it only intensified as I realized that Eric would be there soon.

"Sookie!"

We both turned as Bill came rushing into the club area from a door behind the bar, arms open and a bright smile on his face. I could tell that he was happy to see her awake and well. She rose on her feet and met his embrace, not saying anything even as he pulled back to look into her eyes. He frowned when she didn't say anything.

"Sookie, are you still mad about our fight?" he asked softly. "Please none of that matters anymore. The only thing that matters is that you are alive."

"I know…I am alive and well and happy," she started with a smile and a nod. "Unlike my friend Lafayette who Eric chained up in the basement and bit him and shot him and did god knows what else!"

Bill frowned, looking at me as I stood on the sidelines watching their encounter with crossed arms. Sookie thought Bill had something to do with the situation, but I knew better. This was all Eric. Cold, heartless, cruel Eric.

"Sookie what on earth are you talking about?" Bill asked looking confused.

"I assume she is referring to the human in my basement who traded sexual favors for vampire blood which you know is a grave offense."

Eric's voice sent a chill down my back as I turned to the entrance of Fangtasia and found him striding in wearing a green t-shirt and some blue jeans with flip flops. His ice cold blue eyes were on Sookie as he came walking toward us. There wasn't an ounce of remorse on his face and he didn't seem to even find the acts of what he had done wrong. This made the energy in me burn like the sun. I felt as if I was going to burst with it, but I kept hold of it. It was like trying to hold back a 300 pound tiger from a piece of steak though.

"His name is Lafayette, Eric. And you should be ashamed of yourself for what you have done to him!" Sookie said from behind me.

"Oh no, he has no shame," I spat looking at Eric full of disgust. "He is a sick, cold, heartless, dead thing and he has no emotions or feelings and cares about nothing, but himself and that is abundantly clear to me now. He is an asshole."

I stepped toward him and my right hand cocked back on instinct, coming across his face with a loud slap. His head whipped to the right with the force of it and my hand stung like hell, but I felt satisfied. I could feel Bill and Sookie's tension behind me as they waited for Eric's response. He turned his head back slowly and I saw that there was a cut on his bottom lip. His tongue snaked out to lick it and it healed within seconds as he stared at me with his cold eyes.

"You are a monster, Eric," Sookie piped up from behind me, making his eyes turn to her.

"It's good to see that you are feeling better, Sookie," he said with a sick smile crossing his face. The energy in me increased tenfold. _I am going to kill him!_ "By the way might I add, red suits you quite well."

"Go to hell!" Sookie snapped.

"You freaking asshole!" I said stepping forward to slap him again.

Bill reached forward and grabbed my hand with his vampire speed. I knew he was just trying to keep Eric from ripping my head off, but my body's survival instincts kicked in and Bill was sent stumbling backward from me by some unseen force. I knew I had done it. And I was glad that he hadn't gone flying across the room. I had just given him a mental push with my mind. I hadn't hurt him. He recovered a few steps away from me and kept his distance. I looked at him apologetically before turning my eyes back on Eric.

"Chase, calm down," Sookie said carefully placing both hands on my shoulders from behind.

"Yes, Chase," Eric said looking back at me. "Calm yourself."

"No we should call the Shreveport police and see what they think about Eric locking people in his basement and torturing them!" I spat.

His reaction was quick and instant. His fangs unsheathed and he was inches away from my face with a hiss, making me gasp and tense up immediately. He remained there for a long moment staring at me with dark eyes as I held my breath and waited to see what his next move would be. I was surprised that my body had given no reaction like it had when Bill grabbed my hand. Perhaps it knew that deep down even though he had hurt and lied to me, I still cared about him. Possibly loved him, which I knew would be my ultimate down fall.

"I do not respond well to threats," Eric said quietly as he continued to gaze at me. I could hear the iciness of his tone.

"And I don't respond well to having my friends chained up in basements," I replied crossing my arms.

"And neither do I. Go and let him go right now," Sookie replied from somewhere behind me.

Eric remained unmoving, fangs still bared, and eyes still cold. I didn't care. I wasn't afraid of him anymore. How could I be when we had cuddled before?

"I think we can come up with some arrangement for Lafayette's release, Ms. Stackhouse," he said finally retracting his fangs and straightening as he looked at Sookie. He sounded so pleasant and nice. I wanted to slap him again. I got the feeling he was being so nice and sweet with Sookie to piss me off. He motioned to the door that lead to his office. "Bill…Sookie….please."

Bill took Sookie by the hand and lead her to Eric's office as Eric turned his cold blue eyes on me. One eyebrow arched as his hand remained out, motioning for me to go into the office after Bill and Sookie. I wasn't going to play his games. Lafayette was not some bartering chip and I wasn't going to allow him to use him as such to manipulate Sookie and I.

"I am not playing your games Eric," I said through clenched teeth standing my ground.

"If you want your friend released then you will," he replied coldly, his face blank.

I shook my head in disbelief. Just the other day I was cuddling in bed with him, fully trusting him and believing that he was worthy of that trust, thinking that he was a changed vampire who was capable of love and compassion and kindness, and now I saw that he was really just a monster. I felt used and disgusted with myself. I had let him take my virginity, my trust, and even though he didn't know it yet, he had my heart. _I am such an idiot!_

"Go into the office, Chase," he said, his tone commanding.

"You are _not _ the boss of me dammit," I replied giving him a shove. My telekinesis kicked up as my hands made contact with him and he was forced back three steps. He looked moderately surprised for a moment and then he recovered, smoothing his large hands down his shirt to remove any wrinkles.

I turned on my heel and headed into the office, but not because he had told me too. I wanted to know what he was trying to barter for Sookie's freedom and even though I wasn't sure I wanted to be a part of it I wanted to make sure Sookie and Lafayette were going to make it out of this alive. Eric came into the office as I stopped beside Sookie. His blue eyes were on me as he leaned against the desk and began to speak in his normal monotone voice.

The sheriff of Area 9 in Dallas was missing and Eric believed that he was abducted by humans. He wanted Sookie and me if I was willing to go to Dallas and investigate.

"So if we agree to go to Dallas and look for this missing vampire then you'll let Lafayette go?" she asked Eric crossing her arms as she paced back and forth.

"You nearly died last night you are not going to Dallas," Bill said sternly looking at Sookie. He turned his eyes on me. "Chase, you are your own woman you can do as you please."

Sookie swallowed hard and looked at Bill. "Bill, I can make up my own mind."

"I will pay all of your expenses of course," Eric piped up. "And yes I will release your friend."

"I want five thousand dollars," she said boldly crossing her arms. "Chase gets five thousand dollars as well and you help her find her real parents."

"Sookie," I gasped turning to her. I appreciated her trying to help me, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to have too much more involvement with Eric even if it meant finding my real parents. I would go to help her and make sure that she came back to Bon Temps in one piece, but I didn't need his money nor did I want his help. If I happened to have time to make it to the children's home while I was in town then great, if not then I would work hard and come back on my own.

"Your human is getting cocky, Bill," Eric said softly looking at Sookie.

"Yeah Sookie I don't need his money or his help," I spat looking at Eric with all the disgust that I held for him.

Sookie frowned at me, leaning in closer between Bill and I. "I know that you are upset with him, Chase, and believe me I am too, but think about all the work we've missed? Not to mention I need a driveway and you could find your parents with that money or hell do anything you want!" she whispered.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes, feeling Eric's eyes on the back of my neck. She was right. I could use five thousand dollars and I desperately wanted to find my parents. "Fine, I will do it."

Bill spoke up for the both of us next. "They will take ten thousand each, you will help Chase find her parents and I will escort them," he ordered.

"I don't think so. No," Eric replied emotionless.

"Ten thousand and you help Chase find her parents and Bill comes with us or it is a deal breaker," Sookie countered.

Eric stared Sookie down for a moment before he made a disapproving face and reached behind him to press the intercom button on his phone. He mumbled something in Swedish and then turned his eyes back on Sookie. Bill and Sookie shared triumphant small smiles while I stood on the sidelines feeling like this all was a huge disaster waiting to happen. I could see a million ways this could go badly.

"You surprise me," Eric said drawing my attention. He was looking at Sookie. I felt the anger in me begin to burn. "Which is a rare quality in a breather."

"You disgust me," Sookie replied quickly, her face matching her statement. I couldn't help the smile that played on my face.

"Perhaps I'll grow on you," Eric replied.

"I'd prefer cancer."

Eric frowned slightly, glancing at me for a moment before his eyes were back on Bill and Sookie. "You will need to leave immediately," he said.

"I will make the travel arrangements, but I will need your credit card number," Bill replied.

The door to the office burst open behind us and suddenly Lafayette was being tossed into the room by Pam. He landed hard with a loud grunt and Sookie and I both rushed forward to his side.

"Such a shame," Pam sighed placing her hands on her hips. "I was hoping that I could convince Eric to let me keep you."

"You already have enough pets," Eric answered.

"No offense, but you ain't exactly my type, _bitch_," Lafayette groaned from the floor.

"Can I kick him?" Pam asked looking to Eric for the answer.

"You can try."

It was Bill who gave the response, his fists clenching as he regarded Pam. She raised an eyebrow and brought one leg forward and for a moment I thought they both were going to fight until Eric spoke up, halting the process.

"Enough," he said sounding tired. "Have Chow fetch their car."

Pam hesitated, continuing to eye Bill for a moment before sauntering out of the room. Eric rose to his feet, moving towards Sookie and I. Sookie rose moving back to allow Eric to kneel beside Lafayette in the place Sookie once was. I remained unmoving. I wasn't going to let him hurt Lafayette. Lafayette whimpered at the sight of him, trying unsuccessfully to move away from Eric. I put my hand on his forehead to calm him, it didn't work well. He was sweating like a dog.

"I'll see you soon, I'm sure," Eric whispered running cold fingers down Lafayette's arm.

"Oh don't bet on it baby," Lafayette answered. "I am retiring. I am done with you crazy ass fuckers. _Done._"

Eric only smirked, rising back to his feet and moving toward his desk. He motioned for Bill who bent down and lifted Lafayette into his arms. He carried him from the room as I rose to my feet watching Sookie glare at Eric before she turned and went storming after Bill. She paused when she realized that I wasn't following and I turned to go after her. Eric was in front of me in seconds, shutting the office door right in Sookie's face. I heard her shout of protest as he slid the lock into place and the energy rose up in me again, my body ready to defend itself if he tried anything.

"I am okay, Sookie," I called gazing up into Eric's blue eyes. "I will be fine. I'll call you when I get home."

There was a brief pause from the other side of the door before I heard her footsteps shuffling away. I continued my staring match with Eric. He didn't say anything, only stared at me for a long moment until he reached forward and tried to caress my cheek. My own hand came up quickly, swatting his away to which he frowned. I didn't want him to touch me ever again and after Sookie and I found this vampire and made it back to Bon Temps and I was paid I never wanted to see him again either.

"_Do. Not. Touch. Me_," I said through clenched teeth as I looked up at him. "You will never touch me again do you understand? I want nothing more to do with you and after all this is over I don't ever want to see you again."

I tried my best to hide the hurt from my face. I didn't want him to know how deeply hurt and devastated I was by today's events. I was kicking myself for letting my guard down, for letting him get the best of me and for me allowing him to do so. I should have stayed away. I should have listened to my brain and not my stupid sex drive. I pushed past him and opened the door, shutting it after I stepped through, praying that for once he wouldn't follow me. I didn't want him to see my tears even though I knew that through the bond he could feel every ounce of it. He didn't follow me this time and I reached my car before I let the tears get the best of me. I decided in that moment that I would never trust Eric Northman ever again.


	7. Dallas

A/N: Hello Readers! I am sorry for my long hiatus, but as I stated before I was dealing with a hurt wrist. But I am fully healed now and trying my best to write again so I will be trying to post regularly. This is somewhat of a filler chapter, but it is important nonetheless. In the next chapter the search for Godric will start and Chase will find out some info on her past. Review and let me know what you think. And sorry again about the wait and thanks for still reading! :D

* * *

**Chapter Six: Dallas**

_"__Don't you trust me?"_

_I shivered as he whispered the words in my ear, cold hands on my hips, his chest pressed against my back. I promised myself that I wasn't going to end up here, in his bed, lying naked against him, filled with need and want and yearning for him. But here I was draped across the king sized bed atop black Egyptian cotton sheets, my clothes strewn randomly around the room. His lips were pressed against my skin, his cold skin such a contrast to mine which was burning. _

"_I can't trust you," I whispered in response. _

_He grabbed my shoulder, rolling me over to face him. I could see he was frowning as he gazed at me with his blue eyes. It was the truth. I couldn't trust him, not after he had lied, not after he had hurt me so. He hadn't even apologized which showed me that he wasn't remorseful and probably thought he had done nothing wrong which made the whole situation worse. _

"_You lied to me," I answered not bothering to hide the anger on my face. He may have been making my body feel incredible, but it didn't mean I wasn't angry. I was still hurt. I still felt betrayed. "You hid things from me after you promised me you wouldn't."_

_Eric shook his head as he pushed me flat on my back and slid his naked body up over mine. I shivered from the coldness, but it felt good against my skin. His lips were at the skin just below the lobe of my ear, kissing his way down my jaw as his hand slid down between our bodies to my sex. He touched the nub of pleasure cells tentatively before circling it, making fireworks erupt within my stomach._

"_I admit to lying," he whispered in my ear as my eyes rolled and my hips thrust against his hand. "But I promised nothing."_

_A technicality. He was right, he hadn't promised me anything, but it was childish for him to use that as his defense. I tried to sit up, but he pushed me back down and kissed me ravenously. My tongue dueled his as he slid his hands up my body and gripped my breasts, kneading them like dough. My inner walls began to throb in anticipation of him being inside of me and when his lips finally left mine I was panting. _I am giving up way to easily_, I thought._

"_You haven't even apologized," I continued softly as his lips brushed mine._

"_Allow me to apologize now," he whispered as blue eyes caught mine. _

_My brow furrowed, wondering just what he planned to do for a worthy apology. He slid down my body, trailing his tongue along my skin as he did so until he reached my abdomen. He parted my legs wide enough to fit broad shoulders and pressed his lips against my inner thigh. My whole body tensed in reaction, knowing what was too come, but wanting it more than I had ever wanted anything in my whole entire life. _

"_Eric," I moaned in need. "Please…"_

_

* * *

_

"Chase, we're here."

My eyes snapped open at the sound of Sookie's voice. I groaned and rubbed my face, still reeling from yet _another _Eric sex dream. I was starting to think that he was the one putting them in my head and it not being from the blood bond. It seemed as if every time I closed my eyes I was having some erotic fantasy of him and it was really starting to get on my damn nerves. I wanted to hate him. I wanted to kill him to be perfectly honest. I didn't want to have sex with him again or think or dream about it for that matter either….okay that was a lie. My body craved his touch and god help me I have to admit I am head over heels for that stupid arrogant cruel vampire.

_God, I am so screwed up dammit._

I sat up carefully in the comfortable airplane chair looking around to find that we were parked in the hangar of the Dallas airport. I rose to my feet quickly, smoothing the wrinkles out of the blue sundress that Sookie insisted I wear. I was all for wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but Sookie had come over before I left home and demanded I change. I was now in the sundress which barely reached my mid thigh and some white sandals with my hair cascading around my shoulders. I wasn't really in the mood to dress up and be cheerful because I wasn't in a cheerful mood. I was still suffering from Eric's betrayal and the only thing I wanted to do was lie in my bed and wallow in my own pity; which is pretty much what I had done until Sookie, Bill, and Jessica came to pick me up and take me to the , my parents hadn't opposed much to me going to Dallas and were fine with it as long as I promised to keep in touch. Sam had been indifferent to me leaving and told me that when I got back I would have to work extra shifts to make up the hours which was fine with me. It seemed that he had a lot on his mind anyway and I didn't want to bother him.

"You sure you okay?" Sookie asked me with a raised eyebrow, placing one hand on my shoulder.

I nodded with a sigh. I was about to lie right through my teeth and I was thankful that she couldn't read my thoughts. I was far from okay. "Yes, just…still a little hurt from…the whole Eric thing."

Sookie sighed and nodded as well. "Yeah well let's just try and make the best of this. We are going to get ten thousand dollars and you are going to find your parents," she replied with a smile.

I shook my head and forced a smile. "Yeah exactly…."

I rose to my feet and followed Sookie off the plane, surprised to find that there were two black stretch limos waiting in the hangar. There were two drivers as well standing side by side, one tall and holding a sign with my last name on it while the other was shorter and wider and also more nervous looking and holding a sign with Bill's last name on it. I hesitated, but Sookie didn't she continued down the steps with a wide smile on her face. I followed cautiously after her noticing that they were wheeling in Bill and Jessica's coffins.

"Ms. Morgan?" the driver holding the sign with my name on it asked with a raised eyebrow as I reached Sookie's side. He was fairly handsome with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes; he looked to be in his mid thirties.

I nodded. "Yes?"

"Hello, my name is Joseph. Mr. Northman arranged for you to ride separately to the hotel. If you don't mind accompanying me I will be more than happy to escort you there," he said motioning to the second limo.

I hesitated looking at Sookie who shrugged. I wanted to tell the driver to tell Eric to shove it, but I didn't want to be rude. "I will see you after I check in alright?" I said looking at Sookie.

"Okay," she said with a smile. "Try to be happy Chase."

I huffed. "Sure Sookie. Be careful."

I let Joseph help me into the limo. The interior was dark leather and there was a mini bar as well as a television. On the seat there was an envelope with my name scrawled across it in an elegant, but masculine handwriting. I picked it up as I sat back into the leather carefully and slid my finger through the slit to open it. There was a folded piece of paper inside as well as a wad of cash. I pulled out the wad of cash and found that it was ten one hundred dollar bills. A thousand dollars. I frowned. I pulled out the folded piece of paper next and opened it flat. It was from Eric. My stomach curled.

_Lover,_

_I am fully aware that you are angry with me, but it does not mean that I will not keep up my end of the business agreement. I have arranged a meeting with the director of the Dallas Children's Receiving Home for tomorrow morning at ten am and due to a sizeable donation on your behalf they have promised to cooperate with any information they have. Joseph will pick you up from the hotel at 9:30 a.m. and drive you there. I do hope you find whatever information you are looking for. _

_E._

I frowned. He had made a donation to the home so that they told me whatever I wanted? Was this supposed to be his form of apology for blatantly lying to me and kidnapping my friend? He was going to have to do way better than this. I skimmed down the page and realized there was a post script.

_P.S: The thousand dollars is to be used in any way you see fit and does not count against the ten thousand discussed in our business arrangement. Enjoy. _

My frown deepened. I wanted to punch him in the face for trying to act so nice and sweet to me. _Stupid arrogant egotistical asshole!_ Was a wad of cash and him pulling strings at the home I was adopted from supposed to make me feel better? If it was intended that way trust me, it didn't.

I sighed and stuffed the money and the letter back into the envelope then into my purse before sitting back into the soft leather and shutting my eyes. I was greeted by blissful darkness for once and hoped that it stayed that way. I didn't want to have another Eric dream. I was exhausted from the lack of sleep that I hadn't been getting and I just wanted to absorb the darkness and embrace it.

When my eyes opened again we were parked outside of the hotel and Joseph was letting me out. I thanked him and told him I would see him tomorrow apparently before offering him a hundred as a tip. He refused it politely with wide eyes insisting that Eric had told him to not take any payment whatsoever from me. That got my blood boiling.

Sookie, Jessica, and Bill hadn't arrived yet and Eric had already booked my room. It was a suite with a king sized bed, a large flat screen on the wall, mini bar, and an amazing view of the city. It was far more lavish then I had expected, but it was Eric after all. Eric who was apparently trying very hard to get me to NOT be mad at him. I wasn't going to make it easy for him. I shut the door to my room after thanking the bell boy and headed for the bedroom. I wanted to catch a few more winks while waiting for Sookie and Bill.

I stopped when I noticed a large suitcase which did not belong to me sitting on the bed. I walked towards the bed and looked down at the black suitcase with a frown, reaching for the tag to see whose name was written on it. _Maybe they got my suitcase mixed up with someone else's….._My suitcase looked nothing like the one lying on the bed, but what surprised me more was my name was written across the tag in Eric's handwriting. I sighed. _Now he's bought me clothes?_

I unzipped the suitcase and opened it, my jaw dropping when I saw its contents. It was a lot of dresses, mostly red and black and made of soft sheer material that felt smooth against my skin. They were all short, much shorter than my liking and I knew that Eric probably knew that. There was matching underwear and bras and toiletries inside and two pairs of strappy heels, one set was black and the other set was red. At the bottom of the suitcase there was a single pair of jeans and a red t-shirt, which I found was a Fangtasia t-shirt when I pulled it out. I found another envelope tucked in the side with another short note from Eric.

_If you do happen to find your real parents in Dallas you should look your best when you are reunited with them. I do know that you enjoy your usual casual attire and have included a pair of jeans and a t-shirt so you do not feel TOO out of the normal._

_E._

I rolled my eyes and stuffed his note back inside the suitcase. I turned on my heel and went storming for the door to my hotel. I intended to march downstairs and find out just where the hell the suitcase I brought with me was with MY clothes inside. I pulled the door open and jumped when I saw Sookie standing on the other side of it. She hugged me immediately, letting out a sigh of relief as I went rigid in surprise.

"Oh thank god, I was so relieved when they told me that you had checked in safely. I thought they might have tried to kidnap you too," she breathed pulling back to look me in the eye.

I blinked in confusion. "Sookie, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Someone from the Fellowship of the sun tried to abduct me. It was our limo driver. I thought that they might have sent someone separately for you, but you are here and you are fine," she smiled.

"The Fellowship of the Sun?" I said softly. "What is that?"

"It's this crazy vampire hating church that apparently knows we are here and tried to kidnap me," Sookie continued moving past me and into my room. She looked around, nodding. "Your room is nice. Did you know that Eric tried to get Bill and me a room with _no_ bed?"

I huffed. "Yeah he is a jerk. He had my suitcase replaced with one that he packed for me, which is nothing but hooker dresses and shoes and dirty under clothing," I grumbled storming into the bedroom and show her. "Then he gives me a thousand dollars for no reason and I think that he is trying to use all this lavish stuff to make me not mad at him anymore, but what he doesn't realize is that I am not some girl who is won over by expensive things. So he can go shove it."

I finished my rant with a sigh and turned to Sookie who was looking at me with wide eyes. She was holding one of the dresses in her hands; it was red with and low cut both in front and in back. I continued to frown.

"This isn't really hooker clothing, Chase. It's actually kind of nice-."

"Not the point Sookie. I would rather be in my own regular clothing," I sighed running my hands through my hair. "I really don't even want to be here."

Sookie sighed as well and put a hand on my shoulder. "Look, you look exhausted. Why don't you just get some rest and we can talk more in the morning. Bill and I will deal with this whole Fellowship thing and we can regroup in the morning."

I nodded. That sounded like a brilliant idea. I didn't want to think about the fellowship of whatever wanting to kidnap us now or what would happen tomorrow when I went to go meet the director of the children's home or my missing suitcase with my normal clothes inside. Sleep was now my top priority, not missing vampires or luggage or attempted kidnappings.

"Eric arranged for me to meet with the director of the children's home I was adopted from tomorrow morning," I said looking at Sookie.

Surprise crossed her face before she smiled. "That's great! Do you want me to come with you?"

I shook my head. I wanted to do it alone. If there was bad news or something else horrible about my past I wasn't too sure that I wanted anyone to know. "No, it's okay. I should go alone. I will come meet you when I get back and then we can swap information. You tell me about this silly fellowship thing and I'll tell you about my parents."

Sookie nodded in agreement. "Okay. You go ahead and get some sleep alright? We are right across the hall if you need us."

I nodded and walked her to the door, saying goodnight to her before locking up the room. I trudged to the bathroom and started a bath, intent on relaxing and taking complete advantage of the suite on Eric's dime. I grabbed my iPod from my purse and stripped down, sliding into the warm bath and sighing at the instant relief it gave to my muscles. I spent an hour in the tub listening to my iPod and refilling the water whenever it got cold. When I finally got out of the tub I was beyond ready to crash. I wrapped myself in a towel and padded towards the bed, looking through the suitcase that Eric had graced me with for any kind of clothing that I could wear as pajamas. I frowned when I found nothing and could only settle for wearing a pair of black lace panties and the bra that went with it and the red Fangtasia t-shirt over it; it only reached a little past my belly button.

I crawled into bed after drying my hair, sighing as the bed seemed to envelope me in softness and shut my eyes. Darkness took me and I embraced it fully.

* * *

The next time my eyes opened it was to the sound of someone knocking on my room door and I wasn't very happy about it. I rolled out of the bed which was still calling my name and trudged to the door trying to rub the sleep from eyes. I unlocked it and pulled it open without thinking, frowning when I saw Eric Northman standing on the other side. He was wearing that devilish smirk of his and his blue eyes moved from my face and right down my body and back up, surveying me like I was a piece of meat. My eyes moved to follow his and I remembered that I was pant less and only wearing the Fangtasia t-shirt and the laced underwear, which were clearly visible to him.

"Oh my god!" I shrieked jumping behind the door and peeking around at him as he let out an amused chuckle. "What the hell are you doing here, Eric?"

"I have come to ensure yours and Ms. Stackhouse's safety," he said as his smile widened. "Although I was not expecting this sort of welcome."

My teeth clenched. "There is nothing welcome about this. I was half asleep asshole and forgot that I didn't have my NORMAL pajamas on. Where is my suitcase?"

"It is back in Bon Temps," he replied arching one eyebrow as he lowered his voice. "Are you unhappy with the clothing options I gave you?"

"You barely gave me any. You didn't even give me pajamas for god sake!"

"I happen to like the pajamas you are currently in."

"Bite me."

He sprang forward with his vampire speed, entering the room and shutting the door. I was pressed against it less than a second later, his body pressed into mine, pinning me to the door. I let out a shocked gasp as his fangs sprang free with a click, and a fire erupted in his blue eyes. I felt as if I couldn't breathe and I could only stare up at him in shock.

"Is that a proper invitation?" he whispered huskily.

I swallowed hard, trying to regain my composure. _Keep it together, Chase. _

"No, Eric, it's a saying," I said slowly and softly. "Now, please get off of me."

He didn't move for a second and a mixture of thrill and fear raced through me as I thought he was going to take my body anyway. He finally stepped backward from me and I pushed off the door and straightened my shirt. Eric sauntered over to the couch in the living room area and sat down on it, laying his arm across the back and crossing his legs. I took a deep breath and covered my laced panties with my hand as I made a bee line for the bedroom and pulled on the jeans that were in the suitcase.

"You going to tell me what you are doing here?" I called as I buttoned the jeans and padded back into the living room.

"I have told you. I have come to ensure that you and Sookie are safe. There was an attempt to kidnap Sookie and I know that if I hadn't sent a separate limo for you then you would have been involved in that as well," he answered his blue eyes following me as I moved to sit down on the couch opposite the one he was sitting in.

I frowned. "I meant what are you doing in this hotel room? _My_ hotel room."

Eric smiled, pearly white teeth peaking out at me through supple lips. I resisted the urge to lick mine as they tingled with the memory of his kiss. "This is _my _room as well," he answered me finally. "I will be staying here in Dallas till this matter is taken care of and I need a place to rest during the day. Why do you think you had a sun resistant room?"

My frown deepened. I hadn't even paid attention when the clerk had mentioned that to me. "Can't you get your own room?" I questioned.

"Why?" he countered quickly arching one eyebrow. "When I can sleep here…and know that you are safe."

My stomach curled. Was he trying to sound sincere and like he cared? "I can take care of myself, Eric," I replied. "But it's good to see that you might have a heart somewhere in that cold still chest of yours."

He frowned at my statement. "You are still angry." It wasn't a question. It was a statement as if he was just realizing it. He didn't sound surprised in the slightest and I didn't really expect him to be. This was still Eric.

"Angry isn't the proper word, Eric," I said leaning back and crossing my arms. "Livid is the word that comes to mind. You kidnapped my friend-."

"I am the sheriff of area 5 which includes Bon Temps. The selling of vampire blood is a grave offense to my kind and as sheriff I had to deal with it. I am duty bound," he cut in through clenched teeth. He had lifted his chin, like it was a serious matter and he felt no shame for it. I could see his point of view, but it didn't mean that my human heart didn't think that what he had done was wrong.

"You didn't have to kidnap him, Eric," I said uncrossing my arms and leaning forward.

"Human customs are different than vampires," he said thickly leaning forward as well. Even with space between us, he was just in my near vicinity and it got my blood boiling.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Obviously we are not going to see eye to eye on this," I said with a sigh rising to my feet and rolling my eyes. "I want my suitcase back by tomorrow. I don't care how you get it, just get it back. And you can sleep here…on the couch. Now if you don't mind I would like to go back to bed now. Some of us do happen to function during the day."

I turned on my heel and headed for the bedroom, but was stopped when Eric appeared right in front of me. I frowned up at him as he slid his jacket from his broad shoulders and tossed the material on the couch. He was wearing a black tank top and some jeans as well, he looked magnificent as ever as normal and heat was licking my insides. His muscles flexed as he crossed his arms and his blue eyes surveyed me. My body missed having his near and touching me, I could forget about him being a jerk for just a few minutes right….?

_No, Chase! Dammit. Stop it!_

"Move, Eric," I said with a sigh trying to sidestep past him.

He stepped in front of me again making me let out another irritated sigh. _Please don't do this to me. _

"Eric, I am tired. And I want to go to bed."

"Why do you insist upon resisting me?"

I was frowning again. "Eric, I am tired," I repeated. "I want to go to bed and I don't want to play games with you."

He stepped toward me, closing the space between us and intensifying the heat within me. "I don't want to play any games either," he said softly reaching one hand forward to caress my cheek. Fire spread through my face. "I can feel your need…why not let me satisfy you?"

In a vampire second I was lying on the couch suddenly with his body over mine. A sick wave of motion sickness hit me for a moment and my eyes struggled to readjust from the sudden blur that overtook me. I locked onto his blue eyes before he leaned down and his mouth found mine, lips fitting perfectly to mine before our mouths parted on instinct and I tasted his mouth. His kiss was feverish and his hands went for the button to my jeans quickly. I lost myself in the kiss for a moment, savoring the pleasure of having his body against mine.

His mouth tore away from mine, moving to my throat and nipping at the skin as his hands finally mastered the button to my jeans and he began yanking them down my hips. I was panting beneath him, his upper body moving down quickly, stopping once his head reached the area just below my belly button. My jeans were tossed to the floor, my legs being spread wide enough to fit broad shoulders.

All his wrongs and lies came back in a flood as I realized just what was about to happen between Eric and I, making me sit up on my elbows with a start. As much as I wanted him, as much as I felt that I needed him, I refused to be toyed with. I didn't want to play Eric Northman's games anymore. Sex god or not, I was not going to give in. He had showed me his cruel vampire side and I couldn't forget how different we were. He was cold and I was warm. He was a vampire and I was human…or so I thought.

"Eric, stop it," I sighed using my serious tone. I sat up fully making him stop and turn oceanic eyes on me. He didn't move from his spot between my thighs, only stared as if he were surprised I was actually stopping him. I took the chance that he was still to move out of the space he was in and retrieve my jeans. "This isn't happening. I am not going to fall back into your….whatever it is that we had because I am horny and you giving me money and clothes and making donations on my behalf. None of that crap matters to me, Eric. Trust matters to me. Trust and understanding and communication and I don't trust you, Eric. I can't. So I will help you find this vampire sheriff and keep up my end of the bargain and then I don't want to know you anymore. Until then keep your damn hands to yourself."

His jaw tightened as he looked at me and I stormed off toward the bedroom. Water was brimming my eyes and I reached up shaking hands to keep the tears from trailing down my face. I crawled onto the bed and covered myself with the blanket, trying to hide the fact that I was crying. He didn't move to follow me and after a moment I heard the door to the room open and shut quietly; leaving me alone in the room.


	8. Bad News

**A/N: Hey guys! I am so sorry for the long hiatus. I had to go through physical therapy and all kinds of stuff! But I am officially all healed according to my doc and am back to writing. I hope most of you are still reading and I promise now that I will be updating regularly. Here is the next chapter and we are getting pretty close to Chase meeting Godric! Anywho read and review and again I am sorry about the long wait!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Seven: Bad News **

An alarm woke me, shrill and buzzing right at the bedside making me groan and open my eyes slowly to turn it off. The clock read 8:00 am and I remembered with a sigh that I had a meeting with the Director at 10:00. I felt rested for once and had actually gotten a good night's sleep even after my encounter with Eric. My stomach was feeling slightly queasy but I knew it was from nerves, I was nervous to find out about where I had come from. I yawned and rolled over onto my back, thinking about laying in bed for a few more minutes when I felt something cold against my shoulder, making me frown. I rolled over slowly to find that I wasn't alone in the bed.

Eric was laying beside me, sleeping peacefully on his back with one arm behind his head. He was shirtless, his skin looking extra pale from the sunlight pouring into the room. His hair was perfectly slicked back as normal and to be honest he looked _dead_. But he still looked gorgeous. I sat up, frowning down at him as I remembered that I had asked him to sleep on the couch… But he wouldn't be Eric if he had listened to me and slept on the couch. He wouldn't be the tall Viking vampire that had stolen my heart and then shattered it into a million pieces. I still couldn't even look at him without feeling that pang of betrayal mixed with longing, hate, want, and love in my stomach. I wanted to forgive him. I desperately did. I wanted to go back to the blissful yet chaotic days when I just couldn't wait to be in his arms again and the nights when I laid there beside him.

But I couldn't. It just wasn't that easy.

I sighed and rolled out of the bed quietly, trying not to wake him as I tip toed to the bathroom and turned on the shower. I was as quiet as possible as I showered, brushed my teeth, washed my face, dressed and did my hair. I wore on the black dresses, the most professional looking one with only a low cut front, and the black heels. I pulled my hair up into a bun with a bang hanging down in my face and was ready by 9:20. Eric hadn't made one movement as I moved throughout the room. I reluctantly brushed a kiss across his cheek before I went to leave unable to resist this rare moment when I saw Eric in his most vulnerable state. He only moved the slightest inch as my lips brushed across his and then he was deadly still again.

As expected Joseph was waiting for me downstairs in the main parking lot. He greeted me and let me in the backseat. I tried to remain calm and keep a clear head as we made the drive to the home, but it didn't work. When we finally arrived I felt sick as a dog and my stomach was in knots. My head and heart were pounding and I had the sickening urge to release the apple and glass of orange juice I had forced myself to consume for breakfast.

The home was large and looked like a school with three smaller but still big buildings surrounding it. There was a play yard and a basketball court, both were fenced in as well as the entire area. I saw and heard children playing of all ages and ethnicity, running across the grass or swinging on the swings. I stood outside the limo after Joseph parked and helped me out, trying my hardest to remember this place, but I couldn't. It didn't even jog one memory which made me even more uneasy. _I should remember this right? _I thought to myself. _I should remember something….please please make me remember anything from this place. I have to know who I am._

"Chase?"

I jumped at the sound of my name and turned to find that a woman had come up behind me in the parking lot. She was beautiful with flowing waves of red hair and a warm smile. She was wearing a casual but professional black dress and heels and holding what looked like a large file folder in her hands. She was smiling softly and looking cautious as if she expected me to explode at any moment. She looked to be my mother's age nearly and as hard as I tried I didn't recognize her either.

I nodded. "Yes, that's me. I am, Chase," I swallowed hard, not wanting her to know how nervous I was and to keep from being too emotional. I didn't want my new telekinesis ability to manifest and hurt someone.

"It has been so long. You are so beautiful, just as I expected," she moved forward to hug me and I let her.

Her skin made contact with mine and I jumped as I was assaulted with her thoughts. Thoughts of me as a child playing in the school yard with the other children, eating, sleeping. I realized then that these were memories she had of me. I looked happy for the most part which made me happy. Maybe being at this place hadn't been so bad. I hugged her in return as suddenly her thoughts shifted and I was in the arms of some strange man that I didn't recognize dressed in a cops uniform, soaking wet and my clothes stained with blood. I was crying, and the utter look of terror on my face made my gut wrench. I pulled away with a small gasp that seemed to go unrecognized. Her face didn't show that she had been thinking about that horrible memory of me, she hid it well as she touched my cheek and sighed.

"I am Ms. Audra Lancaster. I am the Director of this facility. You can call me Audra. I haven't seen you since the day you left with the Morgan's," she said shaking her head and stepping back to take me in. " You may not remember me, but I have been here since they first brought you in that night so many years ago….you seem to be doing well for yourself though. The Morgan's are wonderful people. How have you been?"

"I have been great," I lied with a smile. '_I've just turned into some magical thing and have been sleeping with a vampire who I don't trust_' I added silently to myself. "Thank you so much for seeing me today."

"Well we don't normally release too much information in regards to a closed adoption, but after the donation your employer provided..." she trailed off as if the rest was obvious. There was a brief pause. "Come inside. We can talk in my office."

My eyebrow arched. _My employer? I am going to kill Eric Northman._ She turned on her heels and headed for the main entrance. I followed walking quickly behind her as I watched the kids play in the yard. The building was large inside and her office was at the end of a long hallway adorned with pictures of children and drawings with the words."Dallas Childrens Receiving Home" in bubbled letters. I took a seat in a soft chair in her office and watched her sit behind her large desk setting the file down. She looked at me and then slid it towards me.

"This is all the information we have on you, Chase," she said softly. "I hope this helps."

I didn't touch the file. I was too nervous. "Were you here when I was brought in?" I asked cautiously.

She hesitated, her face hardening and her eyes gazing off as if she was trying to remember. "I was. I wasn't director back then, just one of the live in teachers, but I was awake when the night they brought you in," she answered with a nod. "The police brought you soaking wet in the rain and covered with blood. They said your name was Chase, that you were one, and that if anyone came to claim you that you were not to be released under any circumstances. They had a cop car sit outside the building for a month after that and still did not let us in on any information as to regards of who you were, who your parents were, or what happened to you. You were here for 6 months when a lawyer showed up to state that the Dallas Childrens Receiving home was granted custody of you and that you could be put up for adoption. We asked for more information then, but we were given none. It was as if you were in the witness protection program. We didn't even know your birthday so we let you pick out the date and month of when you wanted to celebrate your birthday. The Morgan's came a few months later and….they took you home practically that day."

My stomach did a flop as it took that information in. I had been brought to the home by the police and then guarded. Why had I been covered in blood? Where did I come from? Were my real parents even alive? These were all questions running through my head, but I was too scared to ask. I was afraid that the answer would be more bad news.

"Do you know who my real parents were? Did the police say anything about them? Who they were? Where they found me?" I asked hurriedly.

Audra hesitated just a moment, her eyes shifting to the floor. "Well...we have no clue as to who your parents are," I deflated at these words. My face falling in confusion. "But you were found at a house in town...near the poor area."

_Great so my parents were poor? _

I sighed and put my head in my hands unable to resist the urge to crumble to a million pieces right on the office floor. I had come all this way only to find out they truly knew nothing. I felt as if I had taken one step forward and two steps back. I jumped when I felt a hand touch my shoulder and looked up to see that it was Audra looking sympathetic. I wiped at my watery eyes feeling ashamed.

"I'm sorry I just..." I sighed and looked down at my hands. "I just really would like to know who I am and where I came from."

"Before you leave Dallas go down to the police station and ask to look at your case file. They may have found something and not have told us. Or try and speak to the detective working your case if there was one," Audra offered. "If your lucky they may tell you something."

I nodded and wiped at my eyes. "Thank you."

I spent another hour and a half with Audra, talking to her about what I was like as a child and getting a tour of the facility. I tried my best to keep a clear face to hide my disappointment and the fact that I was upset, but I knew that it showed. By the time I was ready to go I was near tears. I hugged Audra goodbye and she wished me luck and I headed for the parking lot. Joseph was waiting to greet me when I came walking out of the building a smile on his face. I forced a smile on my own face as he opened the door.

"Back to the hotel Ms. Morgan?" He asked politely as he helped me inside.

I wasn't ready to go back and deal with Sookie's questions or see Eric lying in bed naked and trying to suppress my want for him. The anger was still boiling in me for what he did and I was disappointed and hurt that I had barely found out any information and that the information I did get was bad news. The energy was still swirling in my stomach and I wasn't really in the mood to deal with Eric or Sookie. I would pass a few hours doing something else until nightfall and then regroup. A part of me wanted to head to the police station to see if I could find out anymore information, but I would save that bad news for another day. I had, had enough for one.

"No, I would like to go for a drive for awhile if that's alright Joseph?" I asked hesitantly.

Joseph shook his head. "Not at all. That will be fine. I'll take a scenic route," he answered with a smile.

"Thanks," I said sitting down and allowing him to shut the door.

I leaned back into the leather of the seats and looked at the file sitting in my lap. I fingered the edge considering opening it and wondering just why I was so apprehensive to look inside when Audra told me there was pretty much nothing to see. The idea of reading about my childhood in a file scared me though. I wasn't ready to look and see what the file had to offer anyway. I tossed it onto the seat beside me and sighed, shutting my eyes.

Joseph drove me around till the sunset with no complaining. We stopped to eat and go to the bathroom a few times, but aside from that I sat in the back trying to keep a clear head and not assume the worst about my past. It couldn't be that bad. I was a good person so that means I had to come from good people right?

I was watching the sun set as we whipped down some freeway when my phone rang making me jump. I didn't recognize the number, but flipped it open anyway and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, lover."

I let out a soft sigh. I was in no mood to deal Eric at the moment. "What do you want?" My tone was not a pleasant one.

"How did your meeting with the director go?" He asked softly.

I blinked at the sincerity and general curiosity in his voice. It seemed as if he really cared. I hesitated. Did I truly want to share anything with him? He could probably find some sick way to use it against me. And I did not want to be under Eric's thumb anymore.

"Chase?"

I snapped back to attention as his voice weaved into my ears. I clenched the phone tighter_._ "It went fine, Eric. Is there something else you need or do you just enjoy annoying me?" I asked in an icy tone.

"Well lover you are in a feisty mood aren't you?"

"Cut the crap, Eric," I sighed. "You want me back at the hotel or something?"

He sighed into the phone. "There will be a meeting at the missing sheriff's home in ten minutes. Sookie and Bill will be in attendance as should you be."

I groaned and ran my hands through my hair. I was so not in the mood for this, but I supposed I did have to earn the ten thousand dollars he was paying me.

"Joseph will bring you. I have already given him the address," Eric continued.

"Okay," I replied. "I will be there in a moment."

I hung up before he could give any reply and slid off the bar stool after placing a hundred dollar bill on the bar for a tip. Joseph was waiting for as expected. He drove me to a large modern looking house that sat by the lake. I said goodnight to Joseph before slinging my purse over my shoulder and heading towards the door. I knocked three times on the door and jumped when it swung open.

A tall man stood there with dark hair and facial hair and a scowl. He was wearing a black button down and jeans to match with cowboy boots. I would have classified him as handsome, but the scowl and look of utter disgust on his face was not pleasant at all. I frowned in return.

"Are you another one of Eric's humans?" He drawled as he looked me up and down.

My frown deepened. "I am not Eric's anything."

The scowl left his face and was replaced with a sly smirk that I didn't take as a good sign. "Then what are you doing here?" He asked taking a step toward me.

"Stan."

It was Eric's cold voice as he appeared behind Stan. His face was blank and void of emotion, but I could hear the anger in his tone. Stan sighed and rolled his eyes as he turned to face Eric.

"What, Northman?"

"She is mine. Now leave her be and let her pass," Eric ordered through clenched teeth.

Stan's smirk widened and he turned his back on Eric stepping towards me. One cold long finger reached out and ran along my jaw. It wasn't much contact, but it was enough to get a read off of him. He was thinking about blood, my blood, he didn't know it for a fact but judging from my blood he assumed it tasted sweet and he wanted it. I came out of his head with a gasp, just in time to see Eric surge forward in vampire speed and grab Stan's wrist breaking the contact with my face. Stan's fangs unsheathed with a click and Eric's followed, both growling animalistically as Stan turned to him.

"She is mine," Eric growled again.

"She says she belongs to no one, Northman."

Eric turned cold eyes on me and I visibly flinched. There were heavy click of heels before a beautiful Latina woman appeared looking irritated.

"Will you two stop it already," she sighed placing her hands on her hips. "We have business to discuss."

Neither of the two male vampires moved for a moment until Stan wrenched his hand from Eric's grip and went walking past him. The female vampire moved to follow leaving me and Eric alone in the foyer. He frowned down at me before wrapping cold fingers around my wrist and yanking me completely in the house. I yelped as he slammed the door shut, and pulled me close to him. He leaned down, lips caressing my ear, as he started to speak softly, but in a threatening tone.

"I know that you are still angry, lover-."

"Eric," I started as my heart began to pound.

"Shut up," he cut in through clenched teeth. The arm around my waist tightened, crushing me into him further. "Trust that I have not forgotten that, but Dallas vampires are not the same as the ones from Bon Temps. They are cold and vicious and given the opportunity would snap you like a twig and drink from your separate parts. So for now, here in Dallas, where it really matters, you are _mine_. Do you understand?"

I remained quiet, my eyes staring dead ahead. I knew he was just trying to keep me safe, but it didn't mean I liked his attitude.

He jerked me against his body once more coaxing a small moan from my throat. "I said do you understand?" He repeated.

I nodded quickly, feeling that now was not a time to test his patience. "Yes, Eric. I understand."

I shivered as his lips brushed my cheek as he pulled back. He turned on his heel and walked into the living area. I moved to follow after regaining my composure. I saw Sookie and Bill standing with Stan and the female vampire and relaxed somewhat. Eric moved to pace around the room as I went to Sookie and Bill's side, standing opposite the female vampire and Stan. Sookie smiled at me and I returned it before turning my attention back on the vampires.

"Now that we are all here, we can discuss what to do about Godric," the female vampire said.

"You could have told me Eric hired some fucking humans, Isabel," Stan drawled as he looked me and Sookie over.

Sookie and I both frowned, the energy beginning to swirl in me as my anger flared. "Excuse me?"

"Now what just a minute," Sookie snapped.

Bill held up a hand before coming to our rescue. "Respect them," he commanded to Stan with a glare.

"Thank you," Sookie said passing Bill a smile.

"I couldn't tell you, Stan. You have been off on your own for days," Isabel snapped with crossed arms.

"Are you certain that Godric was abducted by the fellowship of the sun?" Eric piped up from where he paced near the dining room table.

"No."

"Yes."

The first answer came from Isabel while the second came from Stan. Both sounded sure. Both looked at the other irritably. Stan brought up facts to back up his assumption.

"They are all the only ones with the organization and man power."

"But they are amateurs," Isabel reasoned. "It does not make any sense." She turned her eyes on Sookie, Bill, and I. "This is Godric we are talking about. 2,000 years old."

Sookie and I shared surprised glances. She mouthed "2,000 years old?" To me. I shrugged. Two thousand years was such a long time. I couldn't imagine being alive that long.

"Old don't make you smart," Stan countered.

"Besides," Isabel continued, passing Stan a glare. "There is NO proof."

"If they have him, I will hear it," Sookie said stepping forward. "Chase will too. She can hear vampires thoughts even though I can't. If she tries hard enough she may be able to hear Godric."

I gasped slightly as Stan and Isabel turned curious eyes on me. "Sookie, you know my ability doesn't work like that," I said quickly.

"It doesn't matter what the little telepath can do. There's no point in waiting," Stan said. "We need to take these fanatic down. Full out attack. Exterminate them like the vermin they are. Leave no trace."

"Hmm. Vampire hating church annihilated? Wonder who did it? Fucking brilliant," Isabel mocked.

"I doubt the king of Texas would approve of the destruction of our international political agenda," Bill added.

Stan huffed. "Fuck that. The great revelation was the biggest mistake we ever made."

"Don't use Godric to start your own little power play!" Isabel snapped.

"You are completely incompetent!" Eric snapped making me jump. All eyes turned on him as his voice rang over us. "What happened to Godric is that he surrounds himself with clowns."

"We invited you as a courtesy. This is not your area. You have no say here," Isabel replied walking toward Eric.

"Yeah sheriff," Stan piped up. "Why don't you run back to Louisiana. We don't need you or your puppets."

I frowned as Stan passed a glare my way. "We are no ones puppets," I snapped passing the same glare right back.

"And I am not going anywhere," Eric replied.

"What we need is a plan," I said drawing attention back to myself. "No matter what the situation you can't go running into a church killing innocent people."

"I have a plan," Stan said angrily.

Isabel huffed. "Its not a plan. Its a movie!"

Stan's gaze darkened. "It's not a movie. Its a war."

Silence hung in the air at his admittance to what he had in mind. Now I realized what Eric meant when he said Dallas vamps weren't the same as Bon Temps. These were cold blooded killers. It was amazing the lack of humanity they had.

Eric shook his head. "Idiots."

"Look we take them all out at once," Stan said. "Preemptive strike."

"Right so the federal government can send us back to the middle ages," Isabel replied.

"Things were better then," Stan huffed.

"Then go back to Romania and live in a cave you ranchero poser!"

"Rancher-."

Glass shattered against the wall startling me. I turned to see that it was Eric. He looked angrier than I had ever seen him. None of this made sense to me. Why was he so concerned with this missing sheriff. He seemed to care about this sheriff a lot which made me wonder why. As far as I knew Eric cared for no one, except Pam maybe and me, but I knew he had a hidden agenda for caring about my well being.

Eric growled. "Godric has protected you. Made you rich. Yet you stand here spitting and scratching like infants!"

"Don't any of you care that there is a traitor in your midst?" Bill asked loudly.

The whole room practically froze. Isabel and Stan huffed. "No," Stan answered honestly.

"Impossible," Isabel countered.

"Someone tried to kidnap me from the airport," Sookie informed. "And if Chase hadn't gone in a different limo then they probably would have gone after her too."

"You were the only ones that knew they were coming," Bill reasoned.

Eric came striding forward, his whole body tense. "Yes. Explain?" He growled.

Isabel and Stan seemed moderately surprised by the information. They both turned on each other accusingly. I growled and ran a hand through my hair. All the arguing was getting on my nerves. I was tired and irritated and disappointed. I didn't want to deal with this.

"Look if you all keep arguing I am either going to fall asleep or go crazy. So this is what we are going to do," Sookie announced. "Chase and I will infiltrate the fellowship."

I huffed. "Sookie. No way."

Bill nodded in agreement. "Absolutely not."

"Let her speak," Eric ordered stepping towards us.

"Bill glamoured the kidnapper so they don't know who we are. Chase and I can pretend we want to join and read their thoughts," Sookie reasoned nodding at me.

"Sookie they probably want to kill us!" I said crossing my arms. I didn't really want any part in this. I was sick of being in life or death situations.

"Chase is right, Sookie," Bill agreed. "During the day none of us can help you."

"Come on," Sookie sighed. "Chase it will only take a little while. Bill, its really simple."

Stan huffed and began striding through the room. "Its a waste of time when we can drain them all. I want no part of this," he scowled grabbing his hat and exiting the house.

"Aside from the killing aspect I am on his side," I piped up with a frown.

"There's no easier way to find out if they are involved," Isabel said now visibly calm in Stan's absence.

"If it leads us to Godric we'll do it," Eric said softly. "The decision is made."

I sighed and plopped down on one of the plush white couches. "Great."

"Eric," I heard Bill say in a hushed angry tone. "A word?"

Bill lead Eric out of earshot as Sookie came to sit next to me on the couch. Isabel disappeared down a long hallway leaving the four of us alone in the living room.

"What's wrong?" Sookie asked me softly.

"I am sick of being in life or death situations," I sighed. "You have no idea what is in that church. For all we know they will kill us or do something crazy on principal."

"Its a church, Chase."

"A vampire hating church. And we both happen to be involved with vampires."

"Chase, we will be fine."

I shook my head. "You don't know that."

She took my hand. "Yes I do."

I looked at her, surprised at how determined she sounded. I didn't know how she could be so sure, but I decided to trust in her. It didn't mean that I wasn't going to worry and assume the worse. Or be angry for Eric putting me in another horrible death situation.

"Sookie," Bill called. "Come. It's time to go. Chase, you may accompany us."

I shook my head as my eyes turned to Eric who stood alone with his back to me, his eyes staring into the fire. He seemed to be having a rough night, but I had a bone to pick with him.

"I am fine."

Sookie and bill shared a glance, but nodded. "Okay, I will see you in the morning," Sookie said.

I nodded as I rose to my feet and watched them walk out. Eric didn't move as I approached him from behind, his hands remained on his hips, his eyes on the fire. I wanted to be angry, but I couldn't help but feel as if he was in need of a hug. He seemed so emotional about all of this and I still didn't understand why. I wanted the truth out of him for once.

"Eric."

"I am in no mood to fight, lover," he said darkly, still not bothering to turn around. "We need to leave. I have business to attend to at the hotel."

He turned on his heel and headed for the door. I followed after him quickly and grabbed his arm, turning him to face me. His teeth were clenched as he gazed down at me, his body tensing. Even though his face was blank, the vulnerability showed in his eyes. It surprised me. He was truly upset.

"Eric, what is going on? Who is Godric and why is he important?" I asked softly. I put my hand on his arm, squeezing gently.

"That is not important. Your only concern should be to find him," Eric replied in an icy tone, pulling his arm from my touch. "Now as I said before, I have business to attend too. And I am starving. Let's go back to the hotel."

"No Eric," I said angrily. "We need to talk. I will not let you keep doing this to me. Aside from the fact that you are putting me in danger _again_. I really don't know why and its pissing me off. Who the hell is Godric and why is he so damn important?"

Eric growled turning back to me with unsheathed fangs. "Chase," he said seeming as if he was trying to stay calm, but his tone was angry and his voice grew louder with each word he spoke. "I grow tired of your pestering pathetic human questions of things you do not understand."

I blinked, taken aback by what he had said. " I have a right to know why my life is in danger. I am here to help you, Eric," I snapped as calmly as I could. I was growing angry now. "Even though you kidnapped my friend and lied-."

Eric growled angrily, cutting me off. "You never stop do you? I have paid your expenses. I have arranged meetings with important people for you to find your parents. I have made donations. I have given you gifts. Yet you are still angry with me. What more do you want from me?" He shouted stepping closer.

"I want you to open up to me dammit!" I shouted in response before I could stop myself. "I know you are supposed to be a big bad ass vampire, but for god sakes Eric try and show some humanity! Be honest with me for once. I don't care about your gifts or you paying my expenses or any of that crap. I want you Eric. I want to know the real inner you. I want to know the human in you."

His face fell at my words, his whole body relaxing as he looked at me in slight surprise.

I took a deep breath forcing myself to calm as I looked down. Warm tears slid down my face. I reached up a shaky hand to wipe them away. "You can't buy my affection or forgiveness so stop trying. Try having a heart."

Eric said nothing. He turned on his heel and stormed toward the door. He pulled the door open slipping through to leave standing there alone with tears on my face.

I couldn't wait to get out of Dallas.


	9. Missing In Action

**A/N: Hello readers. I am sorry for the long hiatus and I am sorry for no posting! I am here with a long update to tide you over for a day or two until I get the next chapter up. I know I said I would be posting regularly, and I am sorry that I haven't, but hopefully I will be soon. **

**Now about this chapter. I hate it and I rewrote it like 5 times, but it just keeps coming out this way and there's no way around it. Hopefully the next chapter isn't as horrible as this one. Anyway read it and review it and tell me how much you hate it as well! Chase will meet Godric in the next chapter though. **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Eight: Missing in Action**

I took a cab back to the hotel. I had no idea where Eric had disappeared too, but I didn't care. I was feeling like an idiot for letting my emotions get the best of me, and for telling them to Eric most of all. I was feeling sick of the world and most of all Eric Northman. I planned to take a hot bath and have a drink and sleep until I had to go into the death trap church in the morning.

I slid my key card into the room and stepped in, looking around to see if Eric had made it back before I had. The room was empty and I set my purse, my file, and my key down on the counter in the living area. I headed for the bathroom and ran a bath and slipped out of my heels and dress. I slipped into the hot bath with a sigh and tried my best to clear my mind from all the vampire stress and drama. It worked somewhat, but once my mind was cleared of the emotions, my body took them over. The energy from my abilities began to swirl in my stomach, making my heart race a little and my blood heat up. I took deep breaths to keep my ability from manifesting physically and kept my head clear. If I wasn't going to be able to find out who my real parents were and gain answers to my questions I would just have to learn to control them myself. I would have to start practicing before I exposed myself in public.

I don't know how much time passed while I was in the tub, but by the time I climbed from the tub and stepped out of the bathroom in just a warm robe, I felt relaxed and at ease. I decided to sleep in the robe due to my lack of pajamas and snuggled into bed, still leaving enough space for Eric, in case he did return to the motel. I didn't really expect him too after our little discussion and I wasn't sure that I wanted to face him after admitting so much to him and calling him out on his lack of humanity. I sighed and snuggled further underneath the covers. I shut my eyes and focused on keeping my mind blank.

* * *

When I woke up again the room was shrouded in darkness. My eyes opened slowly, blinking against the darkness in the room to find that I wasn't alone in bed. I blinked a few more times before reaching over to turn on the bedside lamp to see that it was Eric lying with me. He was fully clothed this time, wearing a dark t-shirt and hopefully pants underneath the comforter sitting over his lower body. His back was turned to me as he faced the window and slept on his side, but judging from his utter lack of movement I assumed he was still asleep. I yawned sleepily, still feeling tired as I turned over to see how much time I had before having to meet Sookie to go to the church. I frowned at the clock when I saw that it said it was after twelve thirty and jumped to my feet.

I dressed quickly in the least provocative dress Eric had packed in the suitcase and left my hair down before rushing from the room and knocking on Sookie and Bill's room. I was way late to meet her, but I had assumed that she would come wake me up. I frowned when there was no response and checked my cell phone for messages. I saw that I had a missed call and voice mail from Sookie and called to check it as I leaned against the wall in the hallway.

"Hey Chase, its Sookie. I just wanted to let you know that Isabel came to me and Bill's room last night and offered to let her human Hugo come with me to the church posing as my fiancé so you are off the hook. Get some rest and I will see you when I get back. We have a lot of catching up to do; you never told me what happened at the children's home. Anyway I will talk to you soon. Bye."

I hung up my phone with a frown and turned back for my room, shutting the door and walking into the bedroom. Eric still hadn't moved from the spot I had just left him in. I ignored him and grabbed my suitcase pulling out my Fangtasia t-shirt and the jeans. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and changed into casual clothes before exiting the bathroom. I paused as I padded through the living room noticing the file containing the information from my early child hood in it. I had forgotten that I had left it there, right in plain sight for Eric to see and or look through. The whole beginning to my life as a orphan and the key to me possibly finding answers to the questions that had been raging in my head since I was little and the new ones that I had been asking myself for the past week.

I took careful steps toward the counter and ran my fingers across the manila folder. My old name was scrawled on the side of a tab reading Chase Lancaster in elegant handwriting. I jumped as my cell phone began ringing in my pocket and pulled it out thinking that it was Sookie. It wasn't her. It was Isaac.

"Hello?"

"Did you find them?"

I frowned at his lack of greeting and walked over to the couch, leaving the folder of my existence on the counter, and plopping down on it. I crossed my arms and leaned deeper into the couch with a sigh.

"Find who?" I knew who he was talking about. I was being evasive on purpose.

I heard Isaac sigh heavily on the other line. "Your real parents, Chase. I have been waiting for you to call me and tell me some news. You haven't."

"There is no news. That's why I haven't called."

"What have you been doing out there then?" He actually sounded irritated and disappointed. I was feeling the same.

"I went to the children's home I was adopted from and pretty much the only thing they gave me to go off of was the file they kept on me."

There was a short pause on Isaac's end. "What does it say?"

I sighed and looked over to where it sat on the counter. I wasn't too embarrassed to say that I hung out with vampires, but didn't have enough courage to look at a file about myself. I clutched my cell tighter.

"There wasn't too much in there...not a lot to go on and you know me. I don't have enough resources to even search them out," I answered shaking my head. "I will never find out who they are..."

Isaac hesitated again. "Why don't you hire someone?" He asked hopefully, making me blink. _Hire who?_ I thought. He answered my question before I could even ask. "Like a private investigator? They can do the dirty work for you and you can come home."

I hesitated considering the idea. He did have a point. I could make someone else do my dirty work and get my answers, and I could pay for it with the money Eric was paying me. A small smile actually hit my lips; maybe I was going to get my answers after all.

Me and my brother shared a light conversation which didn't entail much. He was bored and lonely just sitting at home and Mary was driving him nuts. I felt for him a little because I knew what our mother could be like. When our conversation ended I hung up my cell, grabbed my coat, purse, and the file of my childhood before heading downstairs to the main lobby. My brother's idea of hiring someone had stuck in my mind and I intended to spend my time waiting for Sookie to return finding one to look into my past.

I hailed a cab and asked the driver if he knew of any private investigators in the city. I was met with a weird look, but the driver started to drive as I leaned back into the leather of the seats and watched as the buildings whipped by. When we finally stopped it was at the edge of the city, in not the best part of the neighborhood. I looked at the driver curiously and he pointed to a small building to my right with no markings. I dug in my purse and withdrew money to pay the fare and climbed out with my belongings. I walked slowly toward the building and pulled the door open stepping through, surprised at what I found in there. It was just a small office with two desks and a row of filing cabinets against one wall. There was another door in the room marked employees only and at the first desk which was right near the door, sat a young woman with auburn hair that barely looked out of her teen years. She looked up at me with bored brown eyes and I tried to smile.

"Umm is this a private investigation place...?" I asked hesitantly looking around at the blank grey walls and the fact that she was the only one in the room at the time.

"Yeah it is. Hold up one second," she said with a halfhearted nod, before leaning to the right. "Todd!"

I jumped at her outburst and turned as I heard a door opening near me. It was the door marked "employees only" and an older man probably in his late forties stepped through. He was handsome in a distinguished sort of way with green eyes and brown hair. He looked irritated up until the moment he saw me standing there and then a forced, but nice smile spread across his face. He shut the door behind him and wiped his hands on the slacks that he was wearing.

"Well hello...Todd Matthews," he said walking toward me and extending a hand.

"Chase Morgan," I answered extending my own hand.

"That's my daughter Margaret," he said pointing to the young woman behind the other desk, who was no immersed in her cell phone. "It's a pleasure to meet you. What can I do for you?"

I took a deep breath and held up my file. Todd's eyes fell towards it, one brown eye brow raised slowly. "This is the only evidence I have that my childhood even existed and that I was adopted. I would like for you to use it to find my biological parents please," I said placing it in his hands.

Todd took it and opened it, glancing at the first page before snapping it shut. "Okay...come sit down, please," he said motioning toward the other desk with the extra chair.

I walked after him, hugging my jacket closed to try and hide my Fangtasia t-shirt. I slid into the chair as he sat in the one across from me and opened the file again, beginning to flip through the pages as he bit his lip. I waited patiently, watching him assess the situation before he looked back up at me, eyebrows raised. I didn't take this as a good sign. He sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"There is not a lot to go on here," he started slowly. "Usually with cases like this-."

I sighed and opened my purse pulling out the wad of cash that I had left that Eric gave me as his voice trailed off. About eight hundred and seventy dollars rested in my hand. I put it on the desk in front Todd watching his eyes fall to it and widen slightly. I expected that judging from the size of his business that he didn't get a lot of it business. I wanted answers and I wanted them soon without me having to do the digging and right now he was the best option that I had. I would pay whatever it took to find out the answers.

"This is all I know. My name is Chase Morgan and one night some 22 odd years ago I was brought to a children's home covered in blood in the rain, then adopted shortly after. I would like to know who my real parents are and why I was covered in blood and why I was never claimed. You may not be the best at what you do, and yes I have given you very little to go on, but I need answers and I need them soon as possible. I will pay whatever it takes to find them out. Even if it's more than what should reasonably be charged, but first I just need you to do agree to do it. Do you agree or not?"

Todd looked at me hesitantly for a moment, then back down at the cash, then at his daughter behind me. He seemed to think about it for a long moment, before nodding. "I will help you."

I went over the situation with Todd for a good hour and a half before leaving. He was going to look into my past with all the resources he had and contact me with any information that he received. I agreed to pay all his expenses that he may occur and his normal fee that I had pretty much paid. When I left the building I was somewhat confident that I would soon have answers to all my questions.

When I arrived back to Hotel Camilla, I went right to Sookie's room thinking that she might be back. She still hadn't called me, but maybe she had returned and was busy. I was met with no answer when I knocked on the door and my calls to her cell phone when right to voicemail. I went back to my room with a sigh and found that Eric was still resting where I left him. I tossed my purse and jacket on the back of the couch and then laid across it, picking up the remote control and turning on the television to pass the time.

Before I knew it I was dozing from boredom. I don't know how many hours passed, but when I opened my eyes again, I found that I had been moved into the bedroom of the room, my jeans and heels had been removed and I was draped across the bed. The dark shades that kept the sun light out of the room were open, showing the night landscape of Dallas and the light in the room was on. I sat up slowly, turning to see that the side of the bed where Eric had been was now empty.

"Eric," I called leaning over to glance out toward the living area. It looked empty.

My eyes went for the clock next wondering just how long I had been asleep when I saw that it was after eleven pm. I cursed softly and slid out of the bed pulling my jeans back on. I went for the door intending to go and see if Sookie was in her room, when I heard the door to the hotel room open. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Eric slipping through. He shut the door, his back to me as he rested his palms against it as if he was holding it closed. He took a deep unnecessary breath and turned to me finally, allowing me to see the trails of blood running down his face, starting from his eyes. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at him in surprise, his jaw tight as he gazed at me. Something struck in my stomach, fear mixed with a little anxiousness as I panicked worrying that something was wrong with him or that he had found out some horrible news about Sookie.

"Eric, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" I asked walking toward him quickly and taking his face in my hands.

He didn't say a word only looked down at me with the blood streaming down from his eyes and his cold hands reaching up to grip my wrists. My heart was pounding with anticipation and worry. I didn't know what was happening but seeing Eric like this was starting to freak me out.

"Eric!" I snapped when he gave me no response. "What is wrong? Is it Sookie? Is she back from the church? Is she dead? Why is there blood coming from your eyes?"

"I know nothing of Sookie's condition. She has been in the church with Isabel's human since the morning," he answered finally pulling my hands from his face. "And I am fine."

He side stepped past me, walking toward the counter and grabbing a napkin. He wiped the blood from his eyes carefully as I stood watching him, stunned. Sookie was still in the church this late? That could not be good at all. She must have been in trouble. I instantly felt bad for not going with her.

"Sookie is still in the church?" I said stepping toward him. "Well is she alright? Has anyone spoken with her? Where is Bill?"

"Bill Compton's whereabouts are unknown, as is Sookie's condition," he answered with a sigh as he plopped down on the couch. "All we have left to do is wait."

"Wait?" I snapped angrily. "Wait? What the hell do you mean wait? Sookie could die if we just wait. We have to do something."

"Like what?" Eric shouted making me jump.

I sighed. I was in no mood to argue. If Eric was going to do nothing to help then I wasn't going to sit around and 'wait' with him. I didn't say a word as I went storming for the door and slipped through, slamming it shut behind me. I walked across the hall carefully and knocked sharply on the door, waiting a few seconds and knocking again when I got no response.

"Bill Compton, are you in there?" I yelled through the door.

I frowned again at the lack of response. What the hell was going on? I went back to my room finding Eric in the same place I left him.

"Where is Bill?" I asked him, making him sigh.

"I don't know nor do I care," he answered absently, rubbing his eyes with his forefinger and thumb.

"Don't you even find it funny that Sookie hasn't come out of the church and Bill is nowhere to be found?"

"Bill Compton's whereabouts are of no importance to me. And Isabel says that her human is fine so there is no reason for alarm just yet."

I huffed in frustration and went to the bedroom, pulling on the red high heels Eric packed and a jacket. I grabbed my purse before heading for the door. Eric rose to his feet and was standing in front of me seconds later just as I reached for the door knob.

"Where are you going?"

"To church. Move."

"You expect me to allow you to go to the church where your friend may be in danger, alone and wearing this outfit?" He asked looking down at my Fangtasia t-shirt.

"Well do you expect me to stand here and do nothing while Sookie could be dead and Bill is M.I.A," I replied crossing my arms. "Sookie is the closest thing to a best friend I have nowadays and she is probably trapped-."

Eric grabbed me, making me jump and scream before he clasped one hand over my mouth. He stepped forward pushing me into the wall and holding me there with one large hand. I froze and stood there looking up at him with slightly wide eyes. I wasn't too frightened but my heart was pounding, and the look on his face was enough reason to be scared.

"If you go into that church you could be trapped as well and then where would that leave me? Without both my telepaths and Godric," he said softly, but with some ice to his tone. "So until we know anything for sure you will _wait_."

He released me after a moment and I slumped against the wall watching him stalk back over to the couch. He was mostly right even if he was being selfish about it. I couldn't go in there and not know what I was dealing with. I had power, but it was uncontrollable and if Sookie was captured what would make me any better? I walked over to the couch opposite him and slumped into it.

"Sookie could be dead and it would be my entire fault because I was too scared to go into that church without her," I mumbled to myself, crossing my arms.

"Don't be foolish," Eric replied. "There is nothing you can or could do. Just sit there and be quiet."

I growled softly, my anger spiking and the energy starting to swirl in my stomach. I grew tired of Eric's attitude and his lack of sensitivity. I was in no mood to fight with him so I rose to my feet storming toward the bedroom. The door slammed shut behind me of its own volition, probably a result from the overwhelming energy coursing through me manifesting my telekinesis. I sighed and shut my eyes as I started to pace, trying to make sure I kept my powers in check and remained calm. My skin was crackling with energy and my blood felt like lava as it rushed through me.

I tossed myself onto the bed after a moment, not knowing what to do with myself. I didn't want to just sit around and wait but I didn't know what else there was to do.

The hours ticked by unbearably slow and with each passing one I grew more worried and ravaged with anxiety. I couldn't distract myself with anything and the only thing I could do was sit around and clutch my phone. When the dark shields closed over the windows signaling that the sun was coming up I was already getting tired. I was officially on a vampires sleeping schedule.

The door to the bedroom area opened as I sat on the bed, back leaned against the headboard, eyes on my cell waiting for a call from Sookie. I had tried to call her cell many times and gotten only her voicemail. I was officially convinced she was dead. I looked up as Eric sauntered in, shutting the door behind himself. He removed his jacket without a word and walked toward the bed lying on the side that I wasn't on. He made himself comfortable lying on his back with his hands folded on his chest and closed his eyes.

I didn't say a word as I looked at him, marveling at how calm he could be when he was the whole reason Sookie was in danger. I set my phone aside and crossed my arms with a sigh. Eric's eyes opened at the sound of my sigh and he turned his eyes to look at me.

"I am really in no mood to fight, lover. I can sense all your anger and anxiety. It's coming off of you in waves despite the fact that I can feel your emotions through the bond," he said seriously. "It is the morning and we both must rest if we are to be of any use to Sookie. Lie down and sleep."

I huffed. "How can you be so heartless? How can you sleep when Sookie is in that godforsaken church with god knows what happening to her?"

"Go to sleep, lover," Eric repeated as he grabbed my arm and yanked me down to his side. His arm wrapped around me like a vice, holding me against him, my head on his chest. I tried to lift myself but he held me firmly even as I struggled. I gave up as the energy within me started to swarm again. I may have been mad at him, but I didn't want to hurt him.

"Sleeping won't change a thing, Eric," I mumbled angrily.

"Just sleep, Chase," he replied with an exasperated sigh.

I gave up on struggling with him with a sigh, closing my eyes and lying against the still coldness of his chest.

* * *

When my eyes snapped open again it was because Eric was sitting up and I was falling forward. He caught me in a second as my brain abruptly tried to adjust from the sudden burst to consciousness. I looked around sleepily as he slid from the bed and pulled me to my feet as well.

"Eric, what the hell is going on?" I asked him sleepily brushing my hair out of my face.

"Godric is in the church," he answered through clenched teeth, sweeping me into his arms.

Before I could comment or comprehend anything that he had said we were moving in vampire speed through the hotel and out into the streets of Dallas. I held onto his neck tightly as the wind whipped at my face, and my stomach flopped. I realized that we were going to the church just as we came to an abrupt stop and Eric put me on my feet. I took a moment to catch my breath and tried to look around, but was stopped when someone grabbed me. I tensed for a moment, until I smelt perfume and heard Sookie's voice in my ear.

"Oh my god, Chase. You don't know how happy I am to see you!"

It was Sookie, holding me tightly around my neck, her face buried in my neck. I sighed in slight relief hugging her in return as my eyes searched where we were. We were in a basement somewhere inside of a cage and there were two human men unconscious on the floor. My eyes continued to scan the surroundings until they fell on Eric and I found that he was on his knees looking up to a handsome man that was half his height and half his age. He had ancient tattoos on his arms as well as across his collarbone, and even I knew who he was before Eric spoke his name.

"Godric."


	10. The Holy Bonfire

**A/N: Hello. Im back...again. Sorry college has been kicking my butt. For those of you who are still reading here is an update!**

**

* * *

**

Sookie released me and I found myself staring at Godric in awe. I couldn't help it. I had not imagined the strong and powerful vampire that everyone had been talking about looking like a young man barely out of his teen years with such pale skin. I could sense that he was powerful though, that wasn't hard to tell. It practically radiated off of his skin. His brown eyes fell on me and my heart skipped a beat. He looked at me curiously for a moment, before he was speaking, but not to me, to Eric.

"You were foolish to send humans after me," he said calmly, finally looking away from me finally and back to Eric.

I turned to Sookie, taking her in as Eric and Godric continued to speak behind me. "Sookie, what the hell happened?" I asked looking her up and down. She looked like crap to be honest. But she had been trapped in this cage for two days, who could blame her.

"You don't want to know," she said shaking her head. "I just want to get the hell out of here. They were going to kill Godric."

I turned my head to look over my shoulder at Godric and Eric who were still conversing between themselves. I still couldn't wrap my head around how they had managed to capture Godric when he was obviously very powerful. Sookie and I jumped as an alarm sounded and alarm lights began flashing. Sookie grabbed my hand and held it tightly and I felt the energy begin to swarm in my stomach as I began to panic. I looked to Eric and Godric waiting for them to get us the hell out of the church and somewhere safe.

"Get the humans out safely," Godric ordered looking at Eric. "Spill no blood on your way out."

"I will not leave you here alone," Eric started.

"I can take care of myself," Godric answered through clenched teeth. "Go. Now."

Eric hesitated for just a moment, probably considering taking Godric out by force, but turned to me and Sookie extending a hand. "Come on," he said motioning for us to move.

Sookie went first, pulling me along by the hand as she rushed through the door that I assumed Eric and I arrived in. Eric followed closely behind us, until we reached a landing. Sookie pulled me alongside her, pressing her and myself up against the wall as Eric pressed a finger to his lips and peeked around the corner. I could hear voices from people I assumed were members of the church. I could feel Sookie's pulse pounding from how tightly she was holding my hand, and my pulse was pounding just the same. I wasn't even sure we were going to get out of this church alive.

"Why didn't you guys bring Bill with you?" Sookie asked looking at me.

I opened my mouth to tell her that Bill was missing, when Eric cut me off. "His attachment to you is irrational. It clouds his judgment. He would kill every man woman and child in this church to get to you," he answered looking at us over his shoulder. I frowned at his response knowing that it was not the truth. Bill was M.I.A and I was hoping that the reason that Eric wasn't telling her was to spare her feelings and not for some sick agenda he had with Sookie.

"Why aren't you?" I asked him. "Isn't that your 'nature'?"

Eric looked at me, irritation bright in his eyes. For once I just wished this vampire and I could get along. It seemed like it would never be possible. "I am following Godric's orders and getting you out, that's all," he answered through clenched teeth.

"He's your maker isn't he?" Sookie questioned.

Eric visibly tensed and glanced back at Sookie over his shoulder. "Don't use words you don't understand," he said softly before turning his eyes back on whatever lay on the other side of that corner that I could not see.

"I just mean that you have a lot of love for him," Sookie finished hopefully.

Eric hesitated, turning to look at us once again, only this time his oceanic eyes gazed right at me. I felt myself burning under his gaze as I waited for him to give some sort of response. "Don't use words that I don't understand," he replied softly.

I stood there staring at him as I tried to comprehend what he had meant by that. I knew he was a vampire and most of the time void of emotion, but even he could understand love. Sookie and Bill were madly in love and Bill was a vampire. Why couldn't he and I share the same thing? I knew how I felt about him. I knew that I loved him and that I wanted to be with him if we could just find some common ground of understanding and trust, but that would never happen if he could not understand love….and trust.

Eric turned his eyes back to corner where men's voices were beginning to shout. He moved to take a step and before I could say anything to stop him, Sookie was reaching forward to grab his arm. "Eric, no," was all she said softly, shaking her head.

Eric's face softened visibly and he took one step closer to Sookie, his tall body leaning in to her. I saw Sookie stop breathing and her hand released mine as her brown eyes looked up into Eric and she made no motion to stop him. For a brief moment I thought he was going to kiss her as his lips were just an inch from hers, but he moved his face to the side by her ear. My blood was boiling with anger and my fists clenched.

"Trust me," I heard him whisper.

He pulled back and straightened, oceanic eyes looking to me to see if I caught the spectacle. I had and it had gotten me angrier than anything he had ever done. I tore my eyes away from him, trying to hide the hurt from my face as I looked at Sookie who seemed visibly shaken by Eric's close encounter. She looked at me as if she were unsure how to feel and apologetic all at once. She retook my hand and squeezed it and I allowed her too. It wasn't her fault that Eric was an asshole who was trying to obviously play the both of us. It was my fault for allowing him to get to me.

I watched him turn and head around the corner, both Sookie and I rushed forward to see what he would do. His massive frame hunched over as he took careful steps toward a group of me holding silver chains and stakes. Eric's deep voice even changed as he spoke, morphing into a light hearted tone and taking on a country accent. I saw his face spread into a smile.

"Uh hey ya'll. How's it goin'," he said with a soft chuckle and a wave. "Uh... Steve sent me over to uh man the exit here. I can take it from here."

The energy in my stomach pulsated as I watched the human men share uncertain looks and looked up at Eric. "By yourself?" One of them asked uncertainly.

Eric nodded. "Uh yeah..."

"I mean your big and all but there's a vampire on the loose," the same man replied.

My heart started to race as Eric hesitated. I knew he wouldn't convince them. It was damn near impossible. "Oh," was all he replied as if he didn't know.

"Where's your stake?" Another man asked this one younger than the other.

Eric hesitated, but sighed as if he were upset at his own personal stupidity. "Ugh dang...I forgot...maybe I can borrow yours if...if that's okay?" I was shocked at how innocent and inviting his voice could sound.

The young man recoiled. "No, I can't do that. Get your own!"

There was a pause in the room and suddenly the air shifted. When Eric spoke again his voice had returned to its deep sexy monotone. "I would very much like to borrow your stake," he said softly.

I could see the way the young man's eyes widened slightly and then his arm was rising up offering the stake to Eric. I knew he had glamoured him, and so did the other men. My body reacted before the word "stake" could even be called desperately from Sookie's lips. The energy rushed me and the man raising his stake to attack Eric went flying backward into the wall. There was a brief moment of surprise from the other men and Eric, where his oceanic eyes looked to me as if to say thank you, but it passed after a second and the human men lunged forward foolishly. Eric incapacitated them quickly tossing some and pushing others until he reached the last and pushed him up against the wall with his own stake to his neck. I went running forward with Sookie close behind me and touched Eric's arms halting his intended murder.

"Eric, you don't have to kill him," I said quickly. "He's not worth it. And remember what Godric said!"

Eric hesitated eyeing the young man and then me, before releasing him and tossing him to the ground. Eric moved toward the doors quickly, beckoning Sookie and I to follow. He paused at the door, opening it halfway to see what lay behind it. I peeked around his shoulder catching sight of the mob of people outside, each holding a various weapon, stakes, silver chains, even crossbows. _Crap._

"Those arrows are wood," the young man still conscious on the floor said. "You will never make it through." There was hint of triumph to his voice that made me want to punch him.

"The sanctuary," Sookie offered pointing behind us. "We can get out that way."

Eric led the way and Sookie and I followed, holding hands again. We rushed through a pair of large doors, following close behind Eric as his eyes surveyed the room. "Where's the exit?" he asked as he lead us down the long aisle towards the altar.

"Back there," Sookie said pointing in front of us.

"There are several exits actually," came a voice that made my stomach curl. It echoed through the chapel making all three of us halt as we heard it. My eyes scanned the room until I saw Reverend Steve Newlin coming to stand in front of the altar. He smiled almost politely. "For you the easiest one takes you straight to hell."

The doors behind us opened and more members of the fellowship came milling through, still holding weapons. They surrounded us, making my heart race and my skin crackle with energy shocking Sookie who recoiled from me and looked at me in surprise. I looked at her apologetically and moved closer to Eric on instinct. He stood tall and brave in front of us waiting for one of the members to strike. I knew this was going to end bloody if we did it his way. These people didn't deserve to die though, they were just foolish idiots listening to an even bigger idiot tell them lies.

"Look why don't you just let us leave?" I said loudly looking around at them. The looks on their faces remained the same, filled with hate. "All of you will die if you do this." It was almost a promise. Eric would kill some of them before they managed to take him down. I knew it.

"The war has begun you evil whore of Satan," Steve said looking right at me, making my face fall. "The vampires started this when they decided to come out of hiding."

"You're an idiot," I said with a shake of my head. "The vampire you kidnapped got away. He is a sheriff."

"And he's going to send help," Sookie added with a nod.

"We don't need Godric," Steve answered shaking his head and chuckling lightly. "Any vampire will do. And look we have one right here." He motioned to Eric, whose face fell slightly.

I frowned immediately and moved to stand in front of him. "No!" I shouted angrily making all eyes fall on me in surprise, including Eric's. I wasn't going to let them hurt him. Even if it meant me getting in the way. I still cared about him even though he was a pompous prick that drove me crazy half the time that I was with him. He had done things that I was pissed about but that didn't change a thing about how I truly felt. I couldn't see myself living in a world that didn't have him in it, even if we weren't speaking or seeing each other. Knowing he existed was comfort enough. "He hasn't done anything to any of you!"

Two men stepped forward cautiously to grab him, making Eric tense behind me and the energy begin to swirl like an angry cyclone within me. It filled me quickly as they continued to come towards us and my power burst out of me without warning, sending the two men flying backward to crash into a few pews. They hit the ground with hard thuds and I heard shocked gasps from a few of the other members before some of them moved forward to help them. Silence fell heavy in the room and the energy drained from me as quickly as it came, leaving me breathless and exhausted. I managed to stay on my feet though as I stared angrily up at Steve Newlin who was looking at me in both awe and utter fear.

"What in god's name are you?" he questioned softly.

"None of your business," I answered through clenched teeth. "And none of you are going to lay a finger on him."

No one spoke for a moment as all eyes were on me and Steve Newlin waiting to hear his response, for a moment I thought he was going to allow us to leave when I felt two large hands on my shoulders. I turned my head to look up at Eric and saw him looking down at me. I couldn't read the emotion on his face and my t-shirt was blocking me from reading his thoughts, but I already knew what he was thinking. His eyes were glossy as he gazed at his hands pushed me forward carefully and he moved around me, making me lunge forward. I grabbed his hand and tried to yank him back towards me, it was impossible.

"Eric, no," I said looking up at him desperately. I felt something warm sliding down my face and my vision was growing blurry around the edges. Was I crying? "Please. Don't do this."

"I will be fine, Chase," Eric said softly.

I attempted to yank him back towards me again and found resistance. I moved closer Instead gripping his hand and forearm tightly. "No, you won't. They want to kill you, Eric!" I said as if he didn't know. "I can't let you do this. You're an asshole and I am still mad at you but I am not going to let you sacrifice yourself to these…these idiots!"

The corner of his lips quirked as if he wanted to smile, making my face fall slightly. One large cold hand reached up to wipe a trail of my tears from my face before he pulled his arm and hand from my tight grasp and turned to Steve Newlin, offering himself. I didn't understand why he was doing this, why he was sacrificing himself. Was it for Godric? I knew he could get us out of here if he wanted too, and right about then I didn't care if it meant spilling a little blood on the way out. I didn't want him to die.

"Eric!" I called as he took careful steps up the altar.

I moved to rush forward and Steve made a hand motion toward me, calling one of the members forward. One tall brave man stepped forward cautiously before grabbing me and holding me tightly. The energy in me began to swirl weakly and I tried to call it up to throw him off, but I was still tired from before. Sookie tried to rush forward to my aid, but another man grabbed her, keeping her from me.

"Brothers and Sisters," Steve Newlin said triumphantly. "There _will_ be a holy bonfire at dawn."

* * *

I watched with warm tears sliding down my cheeks as two of the members of the fellowship stripped Eric of his leather jacket and laid him back on the altar. He didn't fight, he didn't make a sound; he just relented and let them do it. Even as they laid the chain of silver over his wrists and neck, he still didn't move to resist. I cringed as I heard his skin crackle and sizzle as the chains burned his flesh, and Eric's fangs unsheathed on impulse. I tried to move forward again, but the man held me firmly making me struggle.

"Just as the Lord was betrayed by thirty pieces of silver, so can just a few ounces of silver betray a child of Satan!" Steve preached looking at his congregation who nodded eagerly in response. They had all seemed to have forgotten about my previous display of power and were now happly listening to Steve's idiotic preachings.

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Sookie reasoned out loud looking around at all the members as if they were idiots. "How can you people listen to him?"

"Please, don't be stupid. This is going to end very badly!" I tried to reason calmly even though emotions and anger were flooding through me. "He hasn't done anything to you, please just let him go!"

On the altar, Eric made a noise catching Steve's attention. He spoke slowly and weakly as Steve turned to him and leaned down to listen. "I…offer myself…in exchange for Godric's freedom…and the girls as well."

"Eric! No!" I shouted struggling harder.

"That's very noble of you, but these women are just as culpable as you are. They are traitors to their own race. They deserve to burn in hell just as much as you do. Especially this one who is obviously your whore and a freak of nature," Steve said turning his hateful brown eyes on me.

I frowned at him, the energy in me beginning to burn. "I'm no one's whore," I said through clenched teeth. "And I am no freak of nature," _Okay even I had trouble believing that. _"I am just a person that's a little different from the rest of you!"

"Actually sweetheart you are, having relations with a subhuman, a child of Satan, makes you unworthy of God's grace and mercy," Steve said shaking his head, he almost looked apologetic and sad. "And obviously you are some sort of _witch _which further casts you into damnation. This is why you are going to burn as well. We will have a double bonfire."

My stomach sunk and my eyes widened as I looked to Sookie in fear. She shook her head feverishly looking at Steve Newlin. "No!" Sookie shouted. "She hasn't done anything wrong!"

"She did wrong when she chose this demon over her own kind and decided to practice black magic," Steve answered absently.

"She does not practice black magic!" Sookie shouted angrily. "She isnt a witch you idiot!"

I was growing more furious by the second and I felt as if I was going to burst. I opened my mouth to tell Steve Newlin just what I thought about him and his opinions when the doors of the altar burst open and a blur came rushing in. It stopped halfway down the aisle and I realized that it was Bill Compton. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Sookie!" he cried past extended fangs.

"Bill!"

Steve was quick, pulling a gun from his belt and aiming it right at Sookie's head. Bill hesitated and glared at the reverend. "If you shoot her everyone here will die," Bill said making it sound as if it were a promise. I believed him. "Let her go."

Steve groaned irritably and rolled his eyes. "Honestly, what do they see in you?" he asked looking at Sookie with disgust. "Brothers, some silver chains for our friends please."

"Don't!" Sookie shouted angrily. "He's done nothing to you!"

"Hey!"

Everyone turned as the shout resonated through the chapel and my eyes searched frantically to find the owner of the voice that sounded so familiar. It was Jason, sitting high about the room in what looked like a window. He had what looked like a sniper rifle in his hand and was aiming it right at Steve. My heart pounded as I thought for a moment Jason was going to kill the reverend. A loud bang echoed through the room and Steve let out a painfilled cry, dropping the gun out of his hand and too the floor.

"Let them go!" Jason shouted angrily.

Steve looked at his hand which was green from where the paintball had hit him, before looking up to where Jason sat angrily. "You son of a-."

There was a second shot, which hit Steve right in the forehead, making him give out another pain filled cry. A few people screamed and ran backwards for cover. The man holding me released me, and I immediately rushed forward to Eric's side. I grabbed the chains, lifting them carefully from his skin as he gazed up at him me with pain filled eyes. The moment the chains were removed he blurred past me, grabbing Steve by the neck and slamming him down on the steps of the altar. As much as I wanted him to kill the reverend I knew that it would only make things worse.

"Eric, wait. You don't have to kill him!" I said quickly before he could do anything else.

Jason disagreed with me from above. "Kill the son of a bitch!" he shouted, making me look up at him with a frown.

"Yes go ahead," Steve taunted. "Make a martyr out of me. Show what you really are so that the war will continue!"

"Shut up!" I shouted angrily. "Eric, please, let him go."

Eric didn't get the chance to react as an odd sound surrounded the chapel and everyone paused to listen. The double doors burst open once again and more vampires came spilling into the room, surrounding the perimeter of the room. Stan stood it the center, wearing his black outfit and cowboy hat, fangs extended as he looked around the room. I sighed in frustration realizing just how bad things were about to get. Stans next words didn't do anything good for the situation and as he spoke Eric released Steve and stepped back to stand beside me, and Sookie went running into Bill's arms. I waited for the vampires to strike and they did on Stan's command.

"Kill them all!"

I jumped as the vampires went blurring around the room, grabbing whatever human was the closest. Eric's arm came around me protectively, pulling me against his side as if to say 'shes mine don't touch her'. I pressed myself into him, putting my face into his ribs and shutting my eyes, not wanting to watch the carnage that was about to happen. I was glad that Eric was okay and for now Sookie and I were both still alive, but a lot of innocent people were about to die and that was something I did not want to watch.

"_ENOUGH!"_ I recognized Godric's voice as it rang out around the room and pulled back from Eric to look up and see him standing on the edge of the choir loft. I looked around the room to see that all the vampires had frozen with their panicked and terrified looking victims in theirs arms, some with their fangs centimeters from sinking into their throats. Stan looked irritated as he withdrew from his victims neck and looked up at Godric.

"You came for me I assume?" Godric asked, tilting his head.

"Yes, sheriff," Stan grumbled in response.

"These people have not harmed me," Godric replied. "See we can coexist. Mr. Newlin I do not wish to create bloodshed where none is called for. Help me set an example. If we leave in peace will you do the same?"

Steve huffed. "I will _not_ negotiate with subhumans and witches!" he spat kneeling before Eric offering his neck. "Kill me! Do it! Jesus will protect me."

Eric didn't look tempted. He looked more irritated.

"I am actually older than your Jesus. I wish I could have known him, but I missed it," Godric continued with a small smile, making Steve look up at him with a frown. He jumped down from the choir loft and pulled Steve back to his feet. He turned to the rest of the fellowship members. "Good people. Who of you are willing to die for this man's madness?"

I looked around waiting for people to call out foolishly. No one did. No one even moved.

"That's what I thought," Godric said with a sigh. "Stand down everyone."

A bunch of reluctant vampires released their victims.

"People go home," Godric ordered. "Its over now."

I sighed and leaned into Eric. "Thank god." I was ready to go back to the hotel and get out of the stupid church with its crazed leader.

"I dare say my faith in humankind is stronger than yours," Godric said releasing Steve who fell to the ground. Godric moved to walk down the aisle past Stan and the others. "Come."

Stan hesitated. "But sir, after what these humans have done to you-."

"I said '_come'_," Godric said with a bite to his tone. Stan sighed and allowed him to pass by, moving to follow.

Jason came down from his perch rushing forward to talk to Sookie and Bill who were still holding eachother. His eyes caught mine for a moment but I looked away as I realized I was still pressed into Eric's side. I withdrew from him quickly, blushing as I realized he was looking down at me. I smoothed my hair out of my face and tried to move forward to follow Sookie and Bill out of the chapel, not wanting to talk about what had happened or face what feelings I had showed him with my display of anger and pain at him wanting to sacrifice himself. His arm came out and gripped my forearm gripping it gently, but firmly to keep me close to him. My eyes caught his and I forced myself to hold his gaze.

"That was quite a display," he said softly. "I didn't know that you cared so much whether or not I lived or died."

My blush deepened and I looked down, crossing my arms tightly over my chest. I didn't really know how to respond. I did care. I cared a lot. I loved him. I couldn't help myself, I loved him despite all his vampire flaws and cruelty. I just wasn't sure whether I could stand by and be with him despite all of that. But it didn't mean that I wanted him dead. I sighed. I had a lot to think about.

"I do care," I said softly pulling my arm away from his grasp. "I care a lot."

He didn't say anything as I turned and headed down the aisle wanting to get out of the church as soon as possible. I was beyond ready to leave Dallas.


	11. Explosions of Jealousy

**A/N: Hey sorry for the delay with the update, but here it is! Thank you for still reading and I hope you review! Enjoy :)**

**

* * *

**Godric's house was packed with vampires and their human mates or play things, for the 'Godric's rescued' gathering. Everyone was happy to have Godric back, especially Eric who did his best to hide it. He and I hadn't had much interaction since we left the church and that was because I was doing my best to avoid him. I wasn't ready to deal with his reaction to my display of emotion. I wanted to instead wrap up this vampire business so that I could go home.

One of the vampires was kind enough to let me borrow a shirt that wasn't as revealing as the Fangtasia t-shirt and a pair of flip flops so I could get out of the heels that were making my feet ache. The t-shirt was black with a low v-neck with long sleeves that revealed a lot of my cleavage, but covered my stomach which I was thankful for. I was a lot more comfortable in it and my jeans as I leaned against the living room wall of Godric's home, clutching a water bottle and staring off into space. I couldn't help but think back to what Steve Newlin had called me. A _witch_. That had been his logical idea of why I had that power, but it had never occurred to me. Didn't witches need spells and cauldrons with potions in order to have powers? Besides that how could I be a witch? Did they even exist? I huffed. Vampires and shape shifting bosses existed so of course witches could be a possibility. But was I one?

"Chase."

I jumped at the sound of my name and turned to see Jason stepping towards me. I wiped the surprise from my face and smiled instead, hugging him gently once he finally reached me. I hadn't spoken with him at the church and once we got back to Godric's he had been busy mingling with the undead. I didn't even know what he was doing in the church to begin with, but I was happy to see him. We hadn't spoken since that day at Merlotte's and we had left each other on slightly better terms so I was happy that we were at least talking.

"Jason, it's good to see you," I said looking up at him. "That was a nice little hero stunt you pulled at the church."

"Well that Steve Newlin is a dick and he had you and Sookie hostage and I wasn't gonna stand for that at all," he said looking at me seriously. "I couldn't stand by and let him hurt you…"

My face fell in slight surprise as I noticed the way he said _you_ and not _you guys_ meaning both me and Sookie. He was giving me that look again, that longing, 'what could we have been?' look that he had given me the first night I saw him again at Merlotte's. Sometimes I wondered too what would have happened between Jason and I if I had of stayed with him instead of Eric, would I be here now? In Dallas working for a vampire that drove me insane on a regular basis and loving one at that. Would I be happier? Slightly more normal? I shook my head as the thoughts threatened to overwhelm me and took Jason's hand giving it a squeeze. It was so warm in comparison to Eric, inviting, alive.

"Thanks Jason that means a lot," I said with a soft smile and a nod.

"You're welcome," he answered softly. "I just wish that vampire of yours would take better care of ya'."

"I take care of her just fine thank you."

A tingle went down my spine at the sound of Eric's voice coming up behind me. _Crap_, I thought. _Another penis match is about to ensue._ Eric came to a stop at my side leering down at Jason for a moment before his eyes fell on our clasped hands. I released Jason's hand and crossed my arms as Eric gave me a look that I could read. Jason visibly tensed and looked up at Eric. I sighed.

"Eric," Jason said with a nod of awknowledgement.

"Mr. Stackhouse," Eric said nodding in return. "You were somewhat helpful in the recovery of Godric today."

Jason hesitated, glancing at me for a moment before he looked back at Eric and squared his jaw. "I was," he said somewhat softly, he sounded as if he wasn't sure. And I wasn't quite sure what Eric was intending with his statement.

"Yes, you were, and this is exactly why I am willing to over look the fact that you just cant seem to stay away from what belongs to me," Eric answered as he slid his arm around my waist.

My face fell and so did Jasons as we both looked at Eric in surprise. _The nerve_, I thought shaking my head. Jason didn't look to pleased with the statement either. "Chase is a grown woman and no ones property, and she can talk to and see me whenever and wherever she damn well pleases," he replied through clenched teeth.

It was Eric's turn for his face to fall as he looked at Jason with contempt. His lips parted to respond to Jason's statement and that was when I threw up my hands. "Ooookay. That is enough," I said making both of their eyes fall on me. "Jason is right, Eric. I am no ones property, least of all yours so just stop treating me like an object and just leave me alone." The words came out in a rush and I could see how surprised Eric was in his eyes. It was such a drastic change from earlier in the church when I was willing to lay down my life for him, but I was sick of him treating me like an object. It was another one of the reasons that I was doubtful of whether or not I could be with him. He had treated me like some sort of trophy from day one, something he could use whenever he liked.

Eric didn't say any thing in response, only tightened his jaw and turned away from us before stalking off angrily into the crowd. I sighed and put my head in my hands trying to calm my nerves which were so tense. I just wanted to go home and take a long bath to try and relax, either that or have a drink.

I looked up as I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and saw Jason looking at me apologetically. "I am sorry about that," he said hesitantly. "That was kinda my fault. I shouldn't be speaking for ya'."

I shook my head. "No, you were right. Im gonna go talk to Sookie. I haven't seen her since I left the church."

Jason nodded and removed his hand. "Yeah, I will see you later alright?"

I nodded and moved away from him with a small wave, heading through the room, dodging humans and vampires to keep from invading anyones thoughts. I saw Sookie standing with Bill and noticed Eric towering over them. Sookie didn't look pleased with him and I tensed as I came to a stop by her side. She had changed out of the dress that she had been stuck in for two days and looked much more comfortable.

"You let us walk into a trap!" Sookie was saying angrily as she glared up at Eric. "You are despicable."

"If I would have known-," Eric started trying to sound more sincere.

"You did know," Sookie cut him off. "But because it was Godric you would risk anything."

"The bond between a vampire and his maker is stronger than you can ever know," Eric replied stepping toward Sookie making both her and Bill tense. "Perhaps one day you will experience this." His voice dropped two decimals to a low and seductive tone and Eric's eyes dropped to survery Sookie completely before meeting her eyes again and smiling.

I felt a pang of jealousy rip through me and my stomach drop. His eyes moved to me next and both Sookie and Bill looked to me as well as I tried to hide the jealousy and anger from my face. I knew Eric was just trying to get back at me for what I had said earlier in front of Jason that had upset him, but either way I was still angry.

"You are such an asshole," I muttered moving past them all.

I heard Sookie call my name, but I kept walking, not wanting to deal with the situation anymore. That was just Eric for you, he always had to one up me whenever I upset him, which was another thing to add to the list of reasons of why I couldn't be with him. We were both just to damn stubborn and Eric was just to vengeful at time.

I was heading towards the bathroom when I heard a voice call my name. I stopped as I realized that it was Godric and looked to see him standing in a high backed chair with an entourage of vampires and vampire companions around him. All eyes were on me and I was suddenly uncomfortable under Godric's brown eyed gaze.

"Chase, please, join me?" Godric asked politely motioning to the ottoman that rested by his chair.

I hesitated, but nodded. "Of course, Godric."

I moved carefully past the other vampires and sat down on the ottoman, looking at Godric as he gazed at me with soft smile. He looked at me as if I was some foreign ceature that he hadn't seen before, but one that he found interesting and beautiful. I was blushing under his gaze when he finally spoke.

"So you are the woman who has captivated my Eric," he said speaking of Eric as if he were his son.

I paused thoughtfully, unsure of whether I would use the word 'captivate'. "Umm….I guess….I don't really know what is going on with Eric and I," I admitted with a sigh. Atleast that was the truth. "He is so….complicated."

Godric chuckled softly, but nodded. "Yes indeed he is…he has always been so…but he is also loyal and kind."

I huffed. "Kind?"

Godric sighed. "Over the years he has grown more…cold, but he was not always so. I know that he cares for you."

"You do?" I said quickly without thinking. There was too much hope in my voice, but I wanted to know how Godric seemed to be so sure.

"I can tell. Who knows him better than me?" Godric answered knowingly, with a slight shrug. "You should have a little more faith in him."

I sighed and looked down. "You are probably right…."

There was a brief pause from Godric as I weighed what he was saying. Eric was rough around the edges, but if even Godric realized that he cared for me, it must mean something. But I had given him so many chances before and I was sick of being hurt and unable to trust him.

"Chase."

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at Godric as he said my name. "Yes, Godric?"

"If you don't mind me asking….could you please tell me _what _you are?" he asked politely.

I hesitated. "What…What do you mean?"

"Well I know that you are not human, atleast not entirely. I saw what you could do at the church and you smell…" he paused shaking his head slightly as he let out a breathy sigh. "Delicious…which means that your blood must be quite sweet and delectable….qualities not found often in a human being."

My face fell and I shook my head. "I…I don't really know what I am…that's what I am trying to find out."

Godric's face scrunched slightly, disrupting his smooth handsome features, he looked confused. He didn't the chance to answer as murmur rose through the crowd and we both looked to see Isabel rushing forward, practically dragging Hugo along. She was crying blood tears and when she reached us she tossed Hugo at our feet. A crowd suddenly formed around us and I saw Eric moving to stand in the front, he paused when he saw me sitting next to Godric, but said nothing. Godric looked to Hugo then to Isabel and then at me.

"Chase, will you excuse me?" he said politely. "I have some business to attend too."

I nodded and rose to my feet. "Yes," I said as I started to move away.

"We will speak again soon," Godric called making me pause and look back at him.

I nodded and then disappeared into the crowd, not wanting to know what fate had in store for Hugo. He had betrayed us all then nearly got Sookie, then me, and then Eric killed. I wasn't too happy with him and I knew that neither was anyone else in the house. I felt sorry for Isabel because she seemed to truly care for Hugo, but obviously humans weren't the only ones who could be hurt in a human/vampire relationship.

I came to a stop in the dining room and found Sookie approaching me, Bill was off conversing with some other vampires. When she reached me her arms came around me tight and she gave me a squeeze as she sighed. I sighed as well and hugged her in return. I felt bad for just walking out on her in the church and then again when Eric had made me jealous. None the situation had been her fault.

"Are you alright?" she asked pulling back to look me in the eye.

I nodded. "Yeah, I am fine. I should be asking you that. You were the one trapped in the church."

Sookie sighed. "I know. I was stuck in that stupid church with that idiot and it was just," she broke off shaking her head. "I don't want to think about it. I just want to go home already. Im glad Godric was found, but its time to go back to Bon Temps."

She started to laugh as she finished her sentence and I couldn't help, but laugh along with her. She was right. It was time to go home. We had done what we came for and nearly died in the process, I had started the process of finding my real parents and could head home now feeling okay. Dallas was too exhausting for me. I wanted to go back to the weird, yet quiet Bon Temps.

Our laughter died off as a female vampire with impossibly black eyes approached us. I tensed on instinct as she looked from Sookie to me and back, her red silk dress flowing around her feet as she stopped. She smiled politely, but there was just something about her that gave me a bad feeling.

"Hello there, I'm Lorena," she said to Sookie as if that was supposed to mean something.

Sookie smiled, her Southern manners coming up. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sookie and this is my friend Chase," she said motioning to me.

Lorena looked at me absently, only taking in my presence, but giving no real awknoldgement before looking back at Sookie. She shook her head slightly as she looked Sookie up and down. I frowned. Who the hell was this woman.

"Hmmm, yes you are," Lorena said with hints of sarcasm in her voice. "So you are what all the fuss is about?"

Sookie hesitated, confusing washing over her face. She glanced at me and I shrugged. "Excuse me?"

"You are a morsel," Lorena said taking one step toward Sookie.

My fists clenched and I felt the energy in me begin to bubble in my stomach. I didn't know who this vampire was or what she wanted, but she was not about to make a meal out of the only best friend I had. Sookie and I had already dealt with enough in this stupid town.

"I'm sorry. Who are you?" Sookie asked finally shaking her head as she stared at Lorena confused.

"Well, we have a mutual friend," Lorena said, her smile widening.

"Bill?" Sookie asked, her smile fading.

"That's right. Funny he never mentioned me. I practically made him what he is today."

She was his maker. I summarized that in that moment and sighed. This situation was not going to end well at all. I knew it. Bill was suddenly rushing toward us, panic and anger mized on his face as realization dawned on Sookie's tan face.

"Lorena! What are you doing?" Bill snapped coming to stand by Sookie.

"Oh, hello darling. I was just getting to know your plaything," Lorena said laughing lightly. "You always did like to prey on the innocent. "

"Bill, this is your maker?" Sookie asked.

"She released me years ago. She no longer has any hold over me," Bill explained quickly glaring at Lorena.

Lorena huffed, still chuckling. "Oh come now. I wouldn't say that. We had two marvelous nights together in your hotel room, William."

I gasped slightly looking to Bill in shock and Sookie mimicked my movements. "You did?"

"Did you know that your boyfriend hit me over the head with a 52 inch plasma television earlier tonight?" Lorena asked touching her head where he must have hit her. "Everyone says they are so thin and light, but when wielded properly its quite a weapon."

"You did?" Sookie questioned looking to Bill.

"Lorena," Bill growled through clenched teeth. "It is time for you to go."

"I hope he doesn't pull the same stunts with you. There is no excuse for domestic violence," Lorena continued ignoring Bills comment.

"What she has failed to mention is that she was holding me captive!"

Lorena huffed, chuckling lightly. "We were merely catching up. You must have been worried sick, wondering where he was. I admit, it got a bit heated, but you know how old lovers can be…" Lorena taunted reaching forward to caress Bill's chest.

That was when Sookie snapped. Her teeth clenched and anger washed over her face as her hand snapped out quick as a snake and held it away from Bill's body. Lorena and I looked at Sookie in surprise. I was amazed at her show of spine. Lorena must have been pretty old if she was Bill's maker.

"_Do Not Touch Him_," Sookie ordered through clenched teeth before tossing Lorena her own wrist.

Lorena recovered after a moment, the shock leaving her face and being replaced with a smile. "My, we're feisty too," she said softly looking at Sookie. She laughed. "You are nothing more than a blood bag. You can not possibly win this."

"I've already won!" Sookie snapped. "Bill chose me, not you. Yet you wont give up. Don't you have any shame?"

"Sookie!" Bill said looking down at her in surprise. "Stop it!"

Sookie ignored him and continued glaring up at Lorena. "I would listen to him, little girl. William and I love eachother," Lorena warned.

She reached for Bill and he swatted her hands away, keeping her at arms length. "Lorena, you have gone mad. You need to leave!" he pushed her away from himself slightly before moving to stand protectively in front of Sookie and me.

"Maybe you do love him, Im not really sure, but he doesn't love you. He never has and we both know that!" Sookie taunted from behind Bill.

Lorena's face fell and she looked as if someone had slapped her right across the face. She stepped toward Sookie and Bill angrily, her eyes on fire with violent intent. Her fangs unsheathed with a click and she hissed. "Take those words back or they will be your last," she warned.

The energy in me swelled and begin to swirl violently as if it was a tiger trapped in a cage, pacing back and forth, waiting for any opportunity to be let out.

"We're leaving now," Bill said irritably, obviously fed up with the situation. "Sookie come on."

He took her by the arm trying to drag her out, but Sookie was not having it. She was heated and angry I could tell.

"Go find someone else you fucking bitch, you've lost this one!"

I jumped at the sound of Sookie's outburst and Bill growled angrily. Lorena finally snapped and came running forward, grabbing Bill and tossing him aside like he was a rag doll. She grabbed Sookie who let out a scream pushing her backward onto the dining room table with her hands around her throat. I went running forward without thinking twice grabbing Lorena by the arm. I tried to pull her off, but she yanked her arm from my grasp and back handed me. Pain shot through my face and I hit the floor hard making me groan in pain. I recovered quickly as the energy coursed through me and my skin crackled. I could hear Sookie's gasp for air and I jumped to my feet grabbing Lorena again yanking her off of Sookie. Lorena growled angrily glaring at me as I stood in front of Sookie protectively.

"Keep your hands off of her!" I said through clenched teeth as I tried to catch my breath.

"You really need to learn how to mind your own business blood bag," Lorena said stepping towards me, getting right in my face.

"And you need to learn how to keep your damn hands to yourself!" I said angrily.

I shoved against her chest as hard as I could with both hands and the energy in my combusted at that exact moment adding to my strength. Lorena went flying backward into the living room hitting the wall of the fireplace before hitting the floor hard. The energy drained from me and I sighed heavily leaning backward against the table to stay standing. All eyes in the room were on me now, but I barely had time to recover as Lorena rose back to her feet and rushed me in full vampire speed. She collided with me hard knocking me backward onto the table and holding me down by the shoulders. I screamed in panic unable to get up the energy to throw her off as her fangs unsheathed again and she leaned towards my throat. I shut my eyes on impulse, fully aware that I was about to die when I heard Godric's voice.

"Retract your fangs. _Now_."

My eyes snapped open, taking in the sight of Godric holding Lorena by the throat. I let out a sigh of relief and sat up sliding from the table and away from the two vampires. Sookie grabbed me, wrapping her arms around me and holding me tightly as if she were happy that I was alive. So was I.

"I neither know nor care who you are," Godric said slowly gazing at Lorena. "But you are disrupting my home and threatening my guests who just recently were a great help to our kind. I could snap you like a twig…yet I do not. Why?"

Lorena hesitated, considering his question. "Its…your choice."

"That's right," Godric answered. "Bill Compton, she is your maker is she not?"

Bill looked ashamed to answer yes, but he nodded.

"Then see to it she makes it out of my home without another disturbance. I want you out of my area by dawn."

He released Lorena and motioned to Bill who rushed forward and took her by the arm escorting her from the house like Godric ordered. Godric turned his deep brown eyes on Sookie and I, taking us in for a moment before finally speaking.

"Are you alright?" he asked looking at us both.

Sookie nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Godric."

Godric nodded at Sookie before looking at me. I still hadn't answered. My heart was pounding in my chest still even though my face showed no emotion. The adrenaline was slowly leaving me. I was fine.

"Chase?" Godric asked.

"I am fine. Thank you, Godric," I said with a nod, forcing a smile.

Godric nodded again and moved away from us, back towards his high back chair. I spotted Eric leaning against the wall, watching the whole situation with a blank face. He held my gaze for a long moment before I forced myself to look away. Sookie released me finally and looked at me carefully.

"Chase, what in the hell were you thinking? She could have killed you!" she asked.

I huffed. "What was I thinking? You went full metal jacket on her , which was what started the whole thing!" I replied chuckling. "You are such a bad ass, Sookie. You hide it very well."

Sookie looked as if she was resisting the urge, but began laughing as well. "I know, but she just made me so mad!" she sighed. "I hate to think that I have her to thank for Bill still being here to this day."

"I know, right."

"Excuse me, everyone. Can I have your attention please?"

I frowned at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and turned with Sookie to see a young man standing in the middle of the living room. The whole room had fallen silent and was looking at the brunette haired young man. He was holding something in his hand although I couldn't tell what and he was wearing a thick oversized coat. Sookie and I shared a confused glance before looking back at him.

"My name is Luke and I am a member of The Fellowship Of The Sun."

Fangs unsheathed all around the room and my heart skipped a beat. I don't know why, but I started walking towards this young man. He wasn't going to get out of the house alive if he kept talking like that, and I didn't want any blood shed. He was a hopeless idiot that had been brain washed and it wasn't his fault.

"Chase!" I heard Sookie call from behind me, but I didn't stop. I was going to grab this Luke guy and drag him out of the house myself and tell him just how idiotic he was.

"And I have a message for you all…." He finished.

I wasn't that far from him when I realized what he was holding in his hand and I froze. He unzipped his jacket revealing explosives with silver chains and stakes attached to his chest by a fest. He was holding the detonator his finger on the plunger.

Time seemed to slow as I watched the muscles in his hand flex as he raised his hand to show the whole room what he had. His thumb pressed down on the red button as his eyes shut and he prepared himself to die and my whole world went black with the sounds of an explosion erupting around me.


	12. The Final Straw

**A/N: Hey guys sorry for the delay, but here is the next chapter. Its short because I didn't want to add too much to it because there is some stuff to take in, but I will be posting the next chapter in an hour two once I am done putting the finishing touches on this one so you will get a double dose! Now some of you may not be happy with the way this chapter goes, but remember there is a reason for everything. Don't forget to R&R! thanks :)**

* * *

"Chase? Chase? Shit! Someone get over here!"

Pain. That was the first thing my brain registered aside from the voice frantically calling my name and yelling for help. The pain was centered in my chest and stomach, resonating there and making it hard to breathe. I finally forced my eyes to open and saw Jason looking down at me. He was covered in dirt and soot and there was a trail of blood rolling down his neck, he was the owner of the panicked voice and his face was filled with it. He was shirtless for whatever reason and he looked somewhat relieved to see that my eyes were open and smiled down at me, one bloodied hand reaching forward to caress my face. I blinked up at him and opened my mouth to ask him what happened when something warm and wet erupted into my mouth, choking me. It tasted metallic and I realized that it was my blood. I was hurt. Badly.

I coughed sparking pain in my whole body, trying to breathe past the blood filling my throat and blood spilled from my mouth. I lifted my head slightly with what little strength I had left after my airway was cleared and saw that Jason was applying pressure to my stomach right below my ribs with his gray t-shirt which was soaking with my own blood quickly. There was a bloodied stake lying right by me which I assumed is what had injured me. My heart started pumping faster as I realized I was surely going to die.

"Jason…" I choked as I felt tears stinging my eyes.

"Hold on, Chase," he said shaking his head grabbing both my hands and placing them over his balled up t-shirt. "I'm goin' to get help. Just hold this alright. Don't let go."

Jason brushed my cheek with his fingers once more before he jumped to his feet. I felt so weak that I was barely holding it in place, but I held on. Jason disappeared from my sight, yelling for help again and I was left there lying on the floor staring at the destroyed ceiling with the worse pain I had ever felt in my life resonating through me, and the taste of my own blood in my mouth. I couldn't remember what happened. I only remembered Luke pressing the detonator before everything suddenly went black. Obviously Jason was okay, but where was Sookie? Where were Eric and Bill? Were they alright? Were they alive?

"Chase?"

I blinked at the sound of Godric's majestic voice wafting over me and looked up to see him kneeling down beside me with Jason standing behind him. I opened my mouth, trying to speak but the pain vibrated at my movement and I cried out in pain.

"Don't try to speak," Godric said softly leaning forward. "Mr. Stackhouse tried to shield you, but you were still wounded by a stake."

Jason had tried to shield me? Where the hell was Eric? Was he dead?

"I am going to give you my blood. It is the only way you will survive this," Godric said as his fangs unsheathed with a click.

He didn't give the chance to decide whether or not I wanted his blood to save me, and if he had of asked the answer would have been yes of course. He brought his own wrist to his mouth and bit into the flesh, his own blood spurting against his lips. He pulled me closer making pain erupt through me, before he placed his wrist against my lips.

The minute Godric's skin made contact with my lips I was flooded with his memories and his thoughts. They rushed me rapidly intensifying with the connection as I drank in his sweet blood. There were so many that I wasn't sure how his brain hadn't imploded from holding them all. There were countless faces of victims, he seemed to remember everyone from his two thousand years of living, the way their eyes widened as his fangs extended and the way some pleaded for mercy. He could remember the slaughtering. He remembered the screams. He remembered everything. It weighed heavy on his mind. More prominent than anything else aside from pondering his own existence. He was remorseful about it, regretting everything that he had done as well as the fact that he even still existed. _Two thousand years is enough. _

That was the last thought that I saw before suddenly the connection was broken and I came out of his mind with a gasp as I sat up straight. I looked down immediately as I breathed heavily, noticing right away that my wound had healed. I felt energized and powerful and knew it was probably a result of Godric's blood.

"Chase? You alright?"

It was Jason's voice right beside me and I turned my head quickly to look at him. He looked so concerned and I offered a small smile trying to calm him. "I'm fine, Jason. Thanks to Godric," I looked to Godric next finding him standing above me, staring down at me with that same mixture of surprise and awe that I normally found in his gaze. He must have felt me in his mind. I felt bad for what I had seen, but I couldn't help it. "Thank you, Godric….you…you saved my life."

Godric nodded once and wrapped his hand around mine as I quickly put my mental block up, helping me stand. He only released my hand once he was sure that I was steady on my feet. "I am glad you are well….it would be such a shame for anything to happen to you, Chase," he said seriously, making me blink at him in surprise. Why was Godric so concerned with my well being? Was it because of Eric?

"Eric!" I gasped making Jason jump and Godric blink in surprise. "Where is he?"

I rushed off before either of them could give me an answer; moving through the house at a fast pace that almost was a run. My heart was pounding in my chest as my eyes frantically searched for him. I could only guess that he was hurt badly or worse dead, that could have been the only reason why he himself hadn't come to shield me or give me his blood. Tears stung my eyes as I rushed past the vampires and humans trying to recover from the past, some alive, some in pieces. I bumped right into someone, halting my fast walk. I looked up to see that it was Bill. I seemed to startle him, but he looked relieved to see me.

"Chase, you are alright," he said with a hesitant sigh.

"Where's Sookie, Bill? Is she alright? Have you seen Eric?" I asked quickly grabbing him by the arm.

Bill held up his hands. "Chase, calm down. Sookie is fine as well as Eric," he said placing his hands on my shoulders. I sighed in relief. "Eric shielded Sookie from the blast. They both will be alright."

I frowned, blinking at Bill as if I didn't understand which I didn't.

"He saved Sookie? And not me?" I blurted before I could stop myself, making Bill's face fall.

Bill seemed taken aback by my question and looked flustered. "I am not that happy about it either, but at least you both are alright-."

I was suddenly livid, my fists and teeth clenching. How dare he? Don't get me wrong I love Sookie as much as anyone could, but she had her own vampire to protect her. Where was Bill when this blast was going on? Why couldn't he save her himself? And how dare Eric choose to save Sookie over me when Jason had jumped in front of me to shield me and he was incapable of self healing.

"Yeah I am fine, but with no thanks to Eric!" I cut in.

I huffed and turned on my heel storming through the dining area until I saw the tall Viking draped across the floor, with his hands cradling his head. He had a lazy smile across his face and Sookie was leaning over him, her mouth sucking at the bare skin of his chest. I stopped dead in my tracks, blinking as if I was dreaming and trying to wake myself. The sight remained the same no matter how many times I blinked and I didn't wake up. Time seemed to stop around me as my heart skipped a beat and I had to resist the urge to burst into tears.

"Sookie what the hell are you doing?" I shouted making all eyes in the immediate vicinity fall on me. The smile on Eric's face was sickening.

Sookie sat up quickly, looking at me surprised, Eric's blood dribbling from her lips. She spat and mixed with her spit and blood I saw a silver bullet hit the ground. Sookie used her hand to wipe away a trail of blood and spit running down her lip before smiling at me. "Chase! Thank god you are okay! I'm sucking the bullets out of Eric's chest so he can heal! He shielded me from the blast so I figured it was the least I could do even though I didn't want too," she said quickly.

"She was superb," Eric said proudly.

"Sookie, he had already begun to heal," Bill said before I could say anything else. "The bullets would have pushed themselves out. This way he's forced you to drink his blood."

I shook my head, furious at Sookie's stupidity and the smile on Eric's face. Moments ago I had been dying on the floor, only alive thanks to the fact that Jason had tried to save me and Godric had been willing to give me his blood. Meanwhile Eric had not only shielded Sookie from safety but allowed her to drink his blood, which was obviously part of some sick plan that he had, had all along. My fists clenched tightly in anger and the energy in me began to swirl violently. This was the last and final straw. I had, had it with Eric Northman and I was done with him and his lies and his games.

Sookie was still struggling to understand what was going on. "He…he what?"

"He was never in any danger, Sookie," Bill said irritably.

"It was a tiny falsehood," Eric said with a slight shrug.

Sookie shook her head violently. "No! He was dying!"

"He wasn't. You two are connected now. He'll be able to sense your emotions," Bill continued.

With each word he said I grew more and more furious and the energy in me swelled. Sookie landed a hard punch to Eric's chest before jumping to her feet and running into Bill's arms. Eric chuckled lightly and rose to his feet as I continued to glare. I felt something warm sliding down my cheeks and I realized abruptly that I was crying. This only infuriated me more. I hated him. I hated that he could get to me so easily and that I had allowed it. I hated that I was in love with him. I just about hated that he even existed.

"What's wrong lover?" Eric taunted looking down at me with that same smug smile on his face, taking careful steps until he reached me. He stopped close enough that I had to tilt my head back to keep looking into his eyes. "You look up-."

I didn't let him finish his smug remark. I slapped him right across his face so hard that his head jerked to the side so hard I was sure that if he had been human his neck would have broken. I could feel that there had been a little telekinetic force behind it and attributed it to the swarming energy inside of me. It swelled eagerly at the short outburst of energy, threatening to take me over and explode. I held it back. I heard Sookie's shocked gasp behind me and when Eric turned back to face me I saw that his lip was cut and he was bleeding. His tongue snaked out to lick up the blood before the wound closed right before my very eyes. The smile had left his face and he looked slightly angry, but I didn't care.

"I was dying over there on the floor not even five minutes ago!" I said softly pointing behind me where in the other room I had been lying in my own pool of blood. The pool of blood was still there. "And did you care or even think to come and shield _me_? No!" As I spoke my voice was rising steadily towards yelling and the floor beneath us all began to rumble as if an earth quake was about to erupt. The energy was fighting against my hold. "You decided to shield Sookie! I was willing to give my life for you earlier this evening and almost did and this is how you repay me? By not even giving a damn to even think about shielding me or saving my life?" The rumbling increased, almost enough to knock a few humans off their feet and make everyone besides Eric and I look around confused. I knew that I was doing it. The energy was swelling and swirling violently, and I knew it would burst any second, probably destroying Godric's house completely. But I wasn't done. "Jason Stackhouse tried to jump in front of me to shield me from the explosion and he can't even self heal. _Godric _came to my rescue and gave me his blood. Not even you! You were too busy tricking Sookie because you are a selfish lying bastard!"

"Chase," Eric started as the anger drained from his face.

"No!" I shouted cutting him off as my hand went up.

The energy within me burst aiming directly at Eric who went flying backward. He flew through the air colliding with two vampires who had been standing behind him, knocking them down before he crashed into the dining room wall. It crumbled at his weight and he hit the floor, cracking the marble beneath him. The rumbling stopped and all eyes fell on me. Unlike all the other times the energy didn't leave me, it only subsided slightly, still swirling in my stomach, not as violent but there. The anger in me dwindled slightly as I stood there breathing heavily watching Eric recover. He groaned softly as he rose back to his feet, wiping blood from his face from some wound that had already healed as he looked at me blankly. He almost looked ashamed, as if he was having second thoughts about his decision to trick Sookie into drinking his blood, but it was too late. He had lost me. I was gone.

"Chase…" he started as he took a step toward me.

I held up my hand again, carefully this time to keep from channeling my power and shook my head, making him fall silent. "I don't want to hear your excuses or your lies anymore, Eric," I continued, my voice calm now. "I am done with you. I am done with this. You have hurt me for the last time."

I finished my statement and turned ready to storm off, stopping when I realized that everyone that was still in the house was looking at me. Including Godric and Jason. The energy in me died instantly and was replaced with embarrassment. I had just made a fool of myself in front of everyone including Sookie, Jason, and Godric. This only made me angrier and I sighed.

"What the hell are you all looking at?" I grumbled.

I walked past them stepping over rubble and debris, wiping furiously at my eyes that were welling again, not wanting to cry over Eric Northman ever again. I was going to walk to the airport if I had too and hop on the first plane back to Bon Temps. I was ready to go home. I was ready to be done with all of this. I was sick and tired of the danger, and the lies, and most of all Eric.

I was out of the house and halfway down the street, arms crossed and forcing back sobs when I felt someone grab my arm. I turned quickly half expecting to see Eric or Sookie, but instead found Jason looking down at me. He was breathing heavily from running to catch up with me and from the way he was looking at me; he seemed to be at a loss for words. I sighed and the tears hit me hard, emotions taking me over as I finally broke down. I put my face in my hands as I began to sob uncontrollably. Jason sighed and wrapped his arms around me, bringing me into the warmth of his chest.


	13. Dawn

**A/N: Okay here is the next chapter. A little sooner than expected, but here nonetheless! I had such a hard time writing it because….well it was just hard…and I still don't really like how it is written and I think its crap, but no matter how many times I rewrote it this is how it turned out so here it is! Let me know what you think! Thanks. :)**

**

* * *

**I took a cab with Jason back to the hotel. We rode in silence the whole way and when we finally arrived he offered to stay with me to make sure that I was alright and that Eric didn't bother me, but I refused him. I wanted to be alone, to pack and get ready to go home. My plan was to catch the first plane out of Dallas and back to Bon Temps. I was sick of Dallas. I was going to catch some sleep and then head to the airport.

I showered and washed the blood and dirt from my hair and body. I felt much better once I climbed out and toweled myself off, pulling on one of the hotel robes. I didn't want to wear the clothes that Eric had bought me; quite frankly I wanted to burn the suitcase and all its contents and walk around naked before I wore anything that he had given me ever again, but I knew better.

I plopped down on the couch with the television remote in hand and flipping through the channels until I stopped on some action movie. A few hours passed with me just sitting there staring at the television, wallowing in my own self pity and self hate. The shades went down when the sun rose and I found myself yawning sleepily. Of course I was on a full vampire sleep schedule now. I rose to my feet and trudged to the bed, falling face first onto it and snuggling into the softness. Sleep hit me minutes later.

* * *

A pounding on the door woke me, making me sit up straight on the couch with a gasp. I groaned as the pounding continued and threw my legs over the edge of the bed. I shuffled towards the door and unlocked it, pulling it open to find Eric Northman leering down at me. His face was blank and his arms were behind his back, he was wearing his trademark black t-shirt and pants with his hair slicked back from his face. I immediately frowned and slammed the door closed right in his face before sliding the lock in place.

I didn't even look back as I stalked to the bedroom room area, shut the door and laid back down. I wasn't going to be conscious again till I was damn good and ready, and I was far from ready. And I was also far from ready to deal with Eric Northman.

"Chase."

I jumped when I heard Eric's voice right above me. I sat up quickly turning to find him standing over the bed, staring at me with that blank gorgeous face of his. My blood was boiling in anger and I was getting more and more pissed with each second that passed. Even after I had told him off in front of just about everyone, he still couldn't just leave me alone. Then again he wouldn't be Eric if he did. He wouldn't be the egotistical, selfish, self centered, asshole, vampire that I loathed.

"Go away!" I said laying back down face first in the mattress. I didn't even want to look at him.

I heard him sigh, before a cold hand wrapped around my leg and yanked me towards the edge of the bed, before flipping me over. I groaned and kicked my leg until he released me and looked into his oceanic eyes angrily. "What the hell do you want, Eric?" I sighed.

"There is a meeting in Godric's hotel room in ten minutes. You're presence is required. Get dressed," he said in his monotone voice.

I huffed as I sat up and held my robe closed with one hand. "I'm not going to your vampire meeting. I don't want to be anywhere near you or any other vampire for that matter."

Eric's teeth clenched and he grabbed me by the arm yanking me to my feet. "You do not have a choice nor do I feel like dealing with your childish tantrums so you will get dressed and join this meeting or I will rip your throat out right now," he said angrily, looking down at me.

I didn't believe him or his threat and the frown on my face showed it. "No, Eric. That is my final answer. Do whatever the hell you want with me, but I am not going."

Eric's grip on my arm tightened and he began moving dragging me along with him to the other side of the room where the suitcase he had bought me sat. "I will dress you myself, if I must, but you will attend this meeting, Chase. It is not an option that you can refuse," he said using his free hand to unzip the suitcase and then pull out the first dress he saw. It was one of the red ones with the low neck and back. "This will do."

He turned back to me and released my arm finally using the hand that had been holding it to pull my robe open. I gasped and yanked it closed again before snatching the dress from his grip. "I will dress myself, Eric! God! Just get the hell out. I will be there!" I snapped pointing to the door.

Eric didn't move for a second, only stared down at me as I looked up at him holding my robe closed and breathing heavily. For a second I thought he wasn't going to leave, but he turned on his heel and stormed for the door, shutting it behind him. I sighed and looked down at the dress in my hands.

* * *

I put the dress on with the matching heels and left my hair cascading down my shoulders. It only took me five minutes to get ready since I hadn't put much effort into my look and when I arrived at Godric's room Eric, Bill, Sookie, Godric, Isabel and a blonde haired woman who looked vaguely familiar to me were already there. It took me a moment, but I soon realized who she was. She was the vampire from TV. Nan Flanders or Flanagan or some crap. She frowned at me as I walked in and I returned it. I wasn't afraid of vampires anymore. I decided to stand and lean against the wall rather than sit next to Sookie or Eric. I was still livid with Eric and upset with Sookie for being so damn naive. I knew that I would get over my anger at Sookie but right now it was still too fresh.

Eric's eyes caught mine as I leaned against the wall by the door, ready to make a quick exit if I needed too. I only held his gaze for a few moments before I looked to Nan who was looking at us all as if we were despicable.

"Do you have any idea of the fucking PR mess you've made? And who has to fucking clean this shit up? Me. Not You. _Me_. I should drain every one of you bastards," The blonde woman said making me frown. Her eyes were on Eric, and he didn't look the least bit phased by her harsh words.

"Stan went after the church alone," Eric answered irritably. "None of us knew anything of it."

"Oh Really?" Nan asked, mocking confusion with her tight lipped face. "Because anyone who knew Stan within the past 300 years knew he had a kink for slaughtering humans, but not you. Not his own nest mates," her eyes fell on Godric as she continued with her icy tone. "Not even his sheriff."

Eric's teeth clenched. "Do not speak to him that way."

Nan's eyes whipped back to Eric quickly. "Don't speak to me that way," she replied bitterly. Eric was still fuming, but he didn't reply which surprised me. Obviously this woman had some authority here. What it was I didn't know. She turned back to Godric. "Moving on. How did they manage to abduct you?"

"They would have gotten to us sooner or later," Godric said absently with a shrug. "I offered myself."

My face fell in surprise slightly as I looked at Godric. I thought he had been captured by the crazy people at the fellowship. I didn't know that he had offered himself willingly, and neither did anyone else judging by the shocked looks he was getting from the others. For a moment I didn't understand why he would do such a thing. He was powerful, immortal, and handsome. He could live however he pleased. He _had _lived as he pleased for two thousand years. Why on earth would he want to give that up?

"Godric, what on earth were you thinking?" I said before I could stop myself.

All eyes fell on me as if everyone had forgotten that I was there. Godric's brown eyes found mine as I ignored everyone else's looks. "Why wouldn't I?" he countered making my face fall.

I didn't like his response and knew instantly that something wasn't right. He had been suicidal. A suicidal two thousand year old vampire.

"They wanted you to meet the sun and you were willing?" Nan asked in disbelief.

Godric remained silent as everyone stared curiously at him.

"I think you are out of your mind," Nan said absently after Godric's silence continued, her face scrunched in disgust. "And I hear there was a traitor?"

"Irrelevant. Just a rumor," Godric said quickly, waving Nan's statement away. "I'll take full responsibility."

I knew this was a lie, but he was saving Isabel in the process. I looked at the Latin vampire and saw her gazing at Godric thankfully. I was beginning to see why Godric was so respected. He was willing to sacrifice himself for his race and those he cared about. I admired him for all these qualities. I owed him my life after all.

"You bet you will," Nan said looking at Godric.

Eric spoke up then, his tone icy and a smile on his face. "You cold bitch," he said addressing Nan.

Nan smiled back at him mockingly before her face fell. "This is a national vampire disaster. Nobody at the top has any sympathy for you. Sheriff, you fucked up, you're fired," she said addressing Godric.

My face fell and I straightened feeling anger sweep through me. "Godric did nothing wrong," I snapped.

Nan's eyes whipped to me quickly at my outburst making me hesitate. She opened her mouth to say something, but Godric's voice stopped her. "I agree," he said quickly bringing Nan's attention back to himself as she looked at me angrily."Isabel should take over. She had no part in my disgrace."

"Godric," Isabel gasped leaning forward from where she sat on the couch. "Fight back."

"What are you saying? She…She's a bureaucrat. You don't have to take this shit from her," Eric said motioning to Nan as he fumbled over his words. He seemed flustered by his maker's lack of resistance to what Nan was doing. I was feeling the same way.

"You wanna lose your area Viking?" Nan said looking at Eric with a raised eyebrow. I felt my blood began to boil, wanting to jump to Eric's defense as well, but I restrained. I was still angry with him. He could defend his own self. Godric on the other hand. I was still on his side.

"You don't have that kind of power," Eric replied with a confident smirk.

Nan shrugged lazily. "I'm on TV. Try me," she replied, a smile on her face. There was a hint of a threat to her tone.

"I am the one to blame," Isabel said calling attention to herself. "I should have contained Stan the moment Godric went missing."

Godric raised his hand making Isabel fall silent. "I remove myself from all authority," he said looking at Nan.

"Works for me," Nan said with a firm nod.

"Ms. Flanagan, Godric helped rescue me from a rapist, who probably would have killed me," Sookie piped up in Godric's defense. "And saved Chase from a homicidal vampire at his house." Sookie looked to me as if she wanted me to speak up and help her.

Nan seemed unphased by these attempts to save Godric's title. "That's nice. Moving on."

"No, listen. He rescued the people in the church too. You think it's a PR mess now? It could have been a million times worse," Sookie continued.

"Godric shouldn't be removed from his title," I said stepping forward. "He saved my life and Sookie's and he is respected by everyone. He did nothing wrong. This isn't fair to him at all. You should be thanking him."

"For getting kidnapped? For attracting a suicide bomber? For piss poor judgment? I think not," Nan answered incredulously looking at me with a frown.

Eric stood up quickly looking angry. "This is bullshit."

I blinked at his frankness, but could understand his anger. I was pissed as well. This was not fair at all, and I did not understand how Godric could sit there so calmly while this vile vampire woman stripped him of his rights and demeaned him in front of us all.

"Eric, it does not matter, please sit down," Godric said.

Eric looked as if it hurt him to sit back down, but he did anyway.

"Now tell me about the bombing. I want to know every detail," Nan said.

We all remained silent as Godric retold Nan about Luke coming into his home with the bomb strapped to his body. He left out my outburst with Eric which I was thankful for, and by the time Nan was done jotting down notes on the notepad that sat on her lap she looked even more pissed off. She shook her head and recapped her pen.

"This is a fucking fiasco. Godric come with me there's some paper work for you to fill out," she said tucking her notepad and pen into a black leather bag.

"Soon," Godric said looking around at us. "But first I have something to say. I am sorry for all the harm that I have caused. For all the ones that we lost both vampire and human. I will make amends. I swear."

Everyone seemed taken aback by Godric's statement and tone, but remained silent.

"Relax, it's just a few signatures," Nan said with a sigh, rising to her feet and walking from the room.

Everyone else rose to their feet. Eric was the first and he immediately took the long strides to reach his maker and tower over him. He looked down at Godric seeming flustered and angered and confused. He seemed to have realized something about the situation that I had not.

"No," Eric said simply shaking his head once.

Godric remained silent.

"Listen to me, Godric"

"There is nothing to say."

"_There is_," Eric replied through clenched teeth, his tone angered and pleading.

Godric sighed and his head dropped slightly. "On the roof then."

He moved carefully around Eric and then the others, leaving us all behind as he disappeared out of the room. Eric moved to follow, but Bill stepped in his way. Eric attempted to move past him, but was stopped as Bill persisted.

"Not now Compton," he grumbled.

"We have unfinished business," Bill responded angrily. He seemed as if he was holding back a lot of anger and it was about to burst out of him. I hesitated by the door, standing to watching and see if Bill was going to try and kick Eric's ass.

"I said '_Not now'_," Eric repeated the anger in his voice thick.

Bill didn't respond. Instead he cocked his fist back and punched Eric right across the face making Sookie and I jump. Eric's head whipped to the side, blood spilling from his mouth as he looked irritated for a moment. I found myself stepping forward to help him, but I halted as I realized what I was doing. What Bill was doing was right. Eric had made a move on his girl and his response was natural. It was between them and had nothing to do with me.

Eric turned to look back at Bill as he brought up one hand to wipe the blood from his face. Bill seemed unphased by the look he was receiving from Eric, nor did he seem satisfied after only one punch.

"Have I made my point clear?" he asked Eric through clenched teeth.

"It's done. I'm part of her now. Now get out of my way."

I felt a pang of heart ache as he said those words and he didn't mean them towards me. His tone was finaling and said so much more than the simple words, only confirming what I already knew. He cared for Sookie. Possibly far more than he cared for me. I stood there silently as I watched him sidestep Bill and go after Godric. Bill seemed just as shaken by Eric's words as I was and looked at Sookie exasperatedly. She shrugged looking flustered as if she had no idea what to say. Her eyes fell on me and she took a step towards me.

"Chase, I-."

I held up my hand stopping her. "I don't want to talk about it, Sookie."

"I'm sure you don't and I know you're hurt, but I didn't do any of this on purpose I hope you know that."

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. "Sookie, I know. It's not you. It's Eric."

"Well I don't want you angry with me, Chase. Especially not over Eric."

"Look, can we talk about this later? I want to go talk to Godric and find out what's wrong," I said moving toward the door.

"I will go with you-," Sookie started moving to follow.

I shook my head. "Look, just stay here with Bill and let me talk to him alone. You can come after."

Sookie hesitated, but nodded crossing her arms over her chest. I offered a weak smile and headed out of the room, walking quickly down the hall way until I reached the stairs. I took them two at a time up to the roof until I reached the access door and opened it carefully. I could hear Eric and Godric talking as I took the small two steps to reach the landing of the roof.

"Two thousand years is long enough, Eric."

"I cannot accept this, Godric. This is insanity!"

"Our existence is 't belong here."

"But we are _here_!"

I stopped as I reached the landing, looking to see Godric standing near the edge of the roof with Eric standing over him. Godric was shaking his head sadly as Eric looked tense. "It's not right. _We're _not right," he said looking up at Eric.

"You taught me there is no right or wrong," Eric countered quickly. "Only survival or death."

"I told a lie as it turns out," Godric said sadly.

Eric let out a soft growl and straightened his body. "I will keep you alive by force!" he threatened angrily.

It all hit me in a rush, just what Godric was doing on this roof with the sky quickly lightening with suns arrival and what Eric was pleading about. Godric was going to meet the sun. My stomach dropped with the realization, but it somewhat made sense. All the faces. Two thousand years. He was tired of living. He found his own existence wrong. And this made me sad for him.

Godric smiled weakly, looking up at Eric. "Even if you could, why would you be so cruel?"

What happened next surprised me. Eric did something I never expected to see him do. He broke down, crumpling to his knees as he began to sob. He spoke in Swedish, his tone filled with pleading and anguish as he sobbed at his maker's mercy. I could imagine that he had resorted to begging now as he kneeled before him and it broke my heart to see this. I thought that I had known Eric, but seeing him this way opened my eyes to a whole new side of him. He loved Godric, probably more than he had ever loved anything as a vampire. And he was in pain over this. A lot of pain.

"Let me go, Eric," Godric said softly placing his hand on Eric's head gently.

Eric lifted his head at his maker's words. "I won't let you die alone," Eric said determinedly, his voice returned to its normal tone as he spoke. "I will stay and meet the sun with you."

Godric shook his head once. "No, you will not. As your maker I command you. Go back to your room."

Eric stood slowly, turning back to me and stalking over. He hesitated slightly when he saw me standing there. There were blood tears trailing down his face from his eyes and I got the urge to rush into his arms and hold him. I resisted and stood frozen as he reached me. I didn't know what to say at first or how to make this all better. If he couldn't change Godric's mind then there was no way that I could. I could stay with him though.

"Eric," I said softly taking his hand, careful to put up my mental block first. "I will stay with Godric. I won't leave him alone. I swear."

Eric nodded once, looking back over his shoulder before pulling his hand carefully from my grasp and moving past me. I heard the door open and close behind him as I took careful steps toward Godric. His back was turned to me as he faced the landscape of Dallas and the impending sun. I stopped a good distance away, not wanting to invade his space but wanting him to know that I was here.

"It won't take long," Godric said still not looking at me. "Not at my age."

I hesitated unsure of what to say, whether or not I should try and change his mind. How could I convince a two thousand year old vampire to still want to live? "Godric…" I started.

'You saw what was in my head, didn't you?" he asked cutting me off. "You saw the faces?"

I nodded slowly even though he wasn't looking at me. "Yes…"

"So surely you will understand why I am doing this?" he asked finally looking at me over his shoulder.

I shook my head violently. "No, I don't. I know it must be hard remembering all of that, but…Godric…" I sighed as I fumbled over my words. "Please don't do this."

"Do you believe in God?" he asked looking at me hopefully.

"I…I don't know…" I said tentatively. I couldn't say yes or no. My parents were religious, but I myself hadn't been to church in so long that I didn't know what I believed anymore. But I knew there had to be some explanation to everything.

Godric pondered this for a moment. "If there is a God…how will he punish me?"

I sighed taking a step toward him. "Godric…if there is a god then I am sure that he won't punish you. You haven't done anything wrong."

Godric smiled weakly at me. "I hope you are right, Chase."

"Godric, why did you save me?" I asked quickly, hoping that if I talked to him I might change his mind. "You gave me your blood and you barely know me. If you find this all meaningless then why keep me alive?"

"Because you are special, Chase," he said looking up at the sky.

"How so?" I questioned further.

"You are gifted in ways that I have never seen in a human being. Someone with such powers as yours that also possesses a kind heart deserves to live," Godric said looking at me.

I huffed, laughing lightly. "After what you saw me do to Eric how can you say that I had a kind heart?"

Godric sighed, shaking his head. "He hurt you. You're reaction was reasonable, although eccentric...I don't think he intended to hurt you so much..." he paused and then looked at me thoughtfully. "Will you care for him when I'm gone?"

I shook my head and wiped at my watering eyes. "I don't know, Godric. Things between Eric and I are so…." I sighed again and crossed my arms. "I just don't think I can take much more from him…I mean you know him…" I tried to laugh, but it only came out in a soft chuckle.

Godric smiled hesitantly. "The thing to know about Eric is that he has a reason for everything that he does. He never does anything without calculating it out and knowing the outcome," he said softly. "But despite all of this I know that he cares for you….remember what I said, Chase…have more faith in him."

The air around me warmed slightly and my eyes went to the sky as I thought over Godric's words. It was much lighter and I knew that we were only minutes from sunrise. Godric sensed the change too and turned back to the sky with a smile on his face, clearly not frightened by the dawn and his mind unchanged.

"Godric!" I said grabbing his arm as my tears began to fall down my face. He looked at me slightly surprised by my actions. "Please…you don't have to do this…at least wait a few more days. Think it over."

Godric smiled weakly and placed his other hand over mine. "It will be alright, Chase."

"How do you know? Why aren't you scared?" I said shaking my head.

"I'm not scared because I am happy," he answered with soft laughter. "I am full of joy."

I was still unconvinced. I didn't want this. "Godric…it will hurt. The pain..."

"I want to burn," he said cutting me off as his hand left mine and touched my cheek. He wiped away a trail of my tears and laughed softly some more. "I never would have thought that a human would be by my side in the end…shedding tears no less. Two thousand years and I can still be surprised."

I didn't know what to say so I said nothing only looked at him past my tears. I could see the light of the sun across the sky and it made me scared for him. I didn't want him to go. There was so much about him that I admired and for him to die it would be such a waste, but I knew there was no stopping him. I owed this vampire my life and here he was giving up his.

"Godric…thank you for saving me," I said squeezing his hand.

Godric's smile widened and his hand squeezed mine. "You're welcome, Chase…"

I released his hand hesitantly before stepping back, knowing that he was going to burn and I should be a safe distance away. I wanted to grab him and drag him off the roof, force him to stay alive like Eric wanted, but I knew that I couldn't. He was much stronger than me and this was what he wanted. He pulled his shirt off and dropped it at his side, turning to face the sun as it rose on the horizon. The minute the blue flame erupted across his skin I turned my back unable to watch him go. I lifted my hand and tried to wipe away my tears as I sobbed softly.

"Goodbye Godric."


	14. Godric's Gone

**A/N: Hello Readers! I am back with an update and this where the story starts to stray off from the plot of season 2 and mainly deals with Chase and her own story mainly. She will go back to Bon Temps and she might be a part of the maenad plot, but honestly I found that whole Maryann fiasco just plain stupid and there was way too much going on to try and fit her completely in so I will focus on her for a little bit and she'll come into the maenad stuff towards the end. Any who let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

***Also this chapter gets smutty….well actually basically the whole chapter is smut but yeah... just a little warning! **

**

* * *

**

I felt numb as I trudged down the stairs back to the sixth floor where my room was. I had watched Godric die silently and content, and it had left me shaken and disturbed. The tears were still falling down my face and as quickly as I wiped them away more fell. I hadn't expected to have this reaction to Godric's death; then again I hadn't expected Godric to die. I could only imagine how Eric was feeling, knowing that his maker was currently committing suicide and knowing there was nothing that he could do.

When I finally arrived back at my room, the door was open just a crack and I sensed Eric's presence before I even stepped in the room. I hesitated, taking a deep breath to try and mentally prepare myself to face him. I shut the door softly behind me and took slow steps through the empty living room until I reached the bedroom area. I found him sitting on the edge of the bed, shirtless, his head hung and tears of blood dripping from his face to the floor. He didn't look up as I stepped into the room, but I knew that he knew I was there. I didn't know how to tell him that Godric was gone. I didn't know how to form the words. He was already in so much pain that I couldn't shatter him anymore with the reality of Godric's death.

"Godric's gone," Eric said softly. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. As if my being there was all the evidence that he needed. His eyes rose slowly although his head did not and the oceanic blue irises locked with mine.

I brought my hand up wiping away more tears and nodded slowly. "Yes…he is…" I said softly trying to hold back my sobs. "Eric…I'm…I'm so sorry."

Eric's eyes dropped and his back relaxed as if all the strength had left him and he was seconds away from collapsing. I saw more blood drip from his face and realized that he was crying, harder than he was moments before. My stomach dropped. I fought my resistance and went to kneel before him, wrapping my arms around his cold body forcing him to rest his head on my shoulder. He didn't move, but he didn't push me away either. I didn't know what to say, or how to make him feel better. Only hours ago I was flinging him across the room with powers that I had trouble controlling and telling him that I was done with him; now I was kneeling in front of him desperately trying to think of some way to make him feel better. No matter what I said or did, I loved him and I was always falling back into his clutches. But I didn't want me feeling sorry for him to be the reason that I let him back into my world. I wanted to be done with him. I couldn't take the pain anymore and I didn't want to deal with it. I meant what I said in Godric's home. I was done.

"I'm sorry about Godric, Eric," I said pulling back to look him in the eye. "But I just came to tell you that he was gone…I wish there was something that I could do to help you…but I'm sure you want to be alone so I am going to go and catch my flight back to Bon Temps."

I rose to my feet and turned to walk away, but was stopped when Eric's cold hand wrapped around my wrist. My heart skipped a beat as I looked down at him, seeing how vulnerable he looked. There was no emotion upon his face, but it showed in his eyes. I had never seen him like this before and it actually scared me and thrilled me to know that somewhere inside of that cold exterior he _did _have a heart…and it could break.

"Stay," he said softly looking up at me. "Stay with me."

"Eric," I breathed shaking my head slowly. "I…I can't…"

His grip on my wrist tightened in just the slightest bit and he rose to his feet quickly towering over me. "Chase….I know that I hurt you-."

"Eric, don't. Please," I said shaking my head. I didn't want to hear his apologies. I would be letting him get inside my head and knew that I would just fall right back into his trap once more and be back at square one.

His arm came around my waist hugging me to the hardness of his body as he looked into my eyes. "Just stay," he said, his tone holding hints of pleading. "I need you, Chase…._Please_."

He didn't give me a chance to answer as one of his hands slid up my side to cradle my neck and his mouth found mine. I tensed against him as our lips met; trying to step back and break the kiss, but his arm tightened around me and crushed me against him. His tongue slid into my mouth deepening the kiss as I moaned and lost myself in his kiss. I hadn't kissed him in so long that I almost forgot just how delicious he could taste and how incredible it could feel. My arms went around his neck, pulling him closer to me as I kissed back feverishly, fire racing through my veins and scorching my core.

Eric turned suddenly pushing me backwards onto the bed where I landed with a bounce before he crawled over me, settling his body over mine. I looked up at him breathlessly as his fangs unsheathed with a click making me gasp. His eyes dropped to my throat hungrily and I knew immediately what he wanted. My blood. A thrill rushed through me at the thought and I considered for a moment, giving it to him.

_God what the hell am I thinking? What the hell am I doing? Get up, Chase! Get out of here!_

I tried to sit up as those thoughts raged through my head and was stopped immediately by a firm hand placed on my chest. I looked up at Eric with a frown, trying to hide the lust from my face and eyes, but I knew that he could feel it through the bond which didn't help my case at all. He knew how I felt. He knew that despite what I may have said I would always want him this way. That it was damn near impossible to resist him once he kissed or touch me. It was another thing I hated about him.

"Eric, I can't do this," I whispered breathlessly. "Get off of me."

Eric's hand tangled in my hair and yanked my head back exposing my neck to him, making me let out a surprised yelp. His lips leaned forward to caress the sensitive skin on my neck, right above my pulse making me tense my whole body in fear. I knew he wouldn't bite me without my permission…well I hoped that he wouldn't. His fangs scraped lightly against my flesh and chills rushed down my spine. My hands went to his chest to try and push him off, but it was like trying to push a brick wall.

"Eric, don't!" I growled softly.

"No matter how much you resist, lover, I know what you really want," he said softly against my skin. "And I intend to give it to you."

He let out a soft growl before dipping his head and piercing my skin with his fangs. It hurt like hell, worse than all the times that he had bit me during sex. I cried out from the pain and instantly started to squirm, my body trying to get away on its own instinct. The hand in my hair tightened further yanking my head back even more as his body weight crushed me into the bed. He sucked greedily as his free hand slid down the side of my body, down to my thigh before pushing the hem of my dress up and finding my wetness to stroke me through the lace of my underwear. The pain started to dissipate and mix with pleasure as the feel of his fingers against me sent sparks shooting through me. My pain filled groans turned to soft moans as my hips started too moved in time with his fingers. The pain eventually faded away all together as his fingers picked up a faster rhythm and the pressure from his mouth increased. I was panting heavily, one hand gripping the wrist of the hand stroking me while the other gripped the material of his shirt tightly. Want and need surged through me and I craved release as I moaned his name. My brain began to fog and a sense of blissful drowsiness washed over me as the pressure of his mouth increased again drawing more blood. He had never taken this much from me before and I could feel the effects of the blood loss.

He pulled away from me with a fierce roar, his fangs dripping wet with my blood, and his lips stained red. His mouth crashed onto mine, assaulting my taste buds with my own blood that was both sweet and salty at the same time. Heat rushed me and my hands slid into his hair, holding his face to mine. I was still drowsy and light headed, but I was still filled with want. His kiss was intense and I met him equally as he rolled onto his back pulling me on top of him. I straddled him, kissing him still as my hips unconsciously grinded against the hardness of him. My hands slid underneath his shirt wanting to feel his cold skin, but I was surprised to find that it was slightly warm. I ignored it, attributing it to the fact that he had just drunk a lot of my blood.

"Wait, Lover," Eric said pulling away from my kiss and pushing me up to a sitting position atop him. He brought his own wrist to his mouth and sunk his fangs into his flesh making me gasp. Thick blood gushed against his lips and he pulled his wrist from his mouth offering it to me.

"Drink, Chase," he ordered with a husky growl.

I shook my head. "Eric, no."

"I drank too much from you," he said heatedly. "You need my blood or you will feel some effects. Do it quickly before the wounds close."

I hesitated, but he was right. I still felt drowsy, light headed, and a little weak. I sighed and gripped his wrist carefully, turning my head and closing my mouth over the wounds. His blood hit my tongue and fireworks rocketed over my taste bud. I moaned and lapped at the holes greedily, swallowing his blood as heat rushed me. My heart was pounding and my fingers dug into his forearm, my blood was on fire and I felt it all rush down to my core.

"Enough," he said after a moment, pulling his wrist from me.

I licked the lingering blood from my lips and looked down at him with heavy lidded eyes. Eric wasted no time in sitting up and wrapping his arms around me as he captured my mouth again. The taste of blood was strong in both of our mouths, my blood is his and his blood in mine. Mixed together it was a sweet combination that was delicious and thrilling. His blood was coursing through my veins, amplifying my want and need to maximum levels. I wanted him. I needed him. He was all that I wanted. He was supposed to be mine, not anyone else's. Especially not Sookie's.

"Eric, wait," I gasped pulling away from his kiss as I suddenly came to my senses. _What am I doing? I'm falling right back into his trap. He tricked me. He tricked Sookie into drinking his blood and it's her that he really wants._ "We have to stop," I finished trying to climb off of him. "I can't do this. It's already gone too far."

Eric gripped my hips hard, keeping me straddled on top of him. I could feel his erection pressing at my core through the denim of his jeans and the lace of my panties. His hand reached up gripping the back of neck and yanking my mouth back to his. I lost myself into the kiss again, unable to fight the urges welling inside of me. It all felt too good. _Too right to be wrong_. But it was wrong. And I knew that.

"No," I moaned pulling away from his kiss. It was harder than anything I had ever done. His lips were still wet and swollen from the intense kissing looking all to inviting. I fought the urge to kiss him again. I had to get out of there. "We can't...I can't-."

I moved to try and climb from atop his body, but he rolled again, pinning me beneath him. His hand moved quickly between our bodies, sliding back beneath my dress, moving lace before sliding two fingers into the depths of me. I gasped as he picked up a smooth rhythm, my back arching off the bed as his name burst from my lips filled with yearning. He lined my jaw with soft kisses, stopping when he reached my ear.

"Stop fighting me, lover," he whispered. His fingers probed deeper, caressing my inner walls making me arch into him further.

"Eric, please," I gasped. I didn't know what I was begging for anymore.

"Don't be angry with me anymore," he said looking me in the eye. It was a commanding tone, but there was a plea in it too. It almost sounded desperate. It surprised me. "You are meant to be mine. Just let me have you again, lover."

I could feel my orgasm welling up, consuming me with an intensity that had me ready to burst. I clung to him desperately, trying to choose a side over the waging battle in my head, heart and body. Give in or fight?

"Eric. Please. We can't-." I was still trying to go with the fight option. It was a weak attempt.

"I crave you, Chase," he continued in a growl. His rhythm increased and I saw stars.

"Eric…"

"I need to be inside of you."

"Oh god," I moaned, my head lulling back granting him full access to my neck. His mouth was on it in seconds, kissing, licking, and biting carefully.

"And I know you crave me just as much, if not more," he continued between nips.

The world was starting to crumble around me. I was panting and throbbing all over, seconds away from sheer bliss.

"Let me satisfy you," he demanded.

I teetered on the edge for a few seconds longer before I went tumbling over. My orgasm rocketed over me, pulsing and attacking every cell in my body as my brain shut down for 15 amazing seconds. Eric continued to work me through it until the aftershocks ended and I went limp on the bed, panting and shaking slightly. Eric withdrew his fingers from me slowly, kissing me again as I tried to fully come back to earth. It felt like it had been an eternity since we had done it and now I was regretting all the wasted time. I was still mad and I still couldn't trust him, but I was tired of fighting.

_I can do this one more time, give in to his temptation and then I'm done…Really done…._ I didn't even believe me. But I would deal with it after we were done.

"Oh my god," I sighed finally catching my breath.

"Eric will do just fine," he replied with a smirk. "And I am nowhere near finished with you lover."

His mouth was back on mine seconds later, tongues dueling as I desperately went for the button to his jeans. He pulled my hands away from, holding them down on either side of my head as he kissed me. I squirmed and struggled for a moment, but he held firm. His mouth slid down to my chest, stopping only to release my hands and unzip the side of my dress. He pulled it down my body before taking it completely off leaving me in nothing but my panties, before sliding back up my body. I had no time to react before his mouth was on my breast, taking my right nipple into his mouth. I gasped and arched into his mouth, as he went to remove his pants. He got them off much faster than I could have. I squirmed beneath him, trying to get him inside of me, but he evaded me.

"Patience lover," he whispered through clenched teeth.

I cursed his patience, but restrained as his mouth tended to my other nipple and his hands caressed every inch of me they could find. His mouth travelled lower, smoothing over the valley between my breast and right down my stomach till he reached my sex. My legs spread on impulse as I felt his lips caress my thigh and I moaned in anticipation of him tasting me.

"Do it, Eric," I begged, gripping the sheets beneath me. "Please."

I felt slim fingers part my lips and then his tongue was sweeping over me, sliding up my entrance and then circling my nub. The air in my lungs left in a huge gush and was followed closely by a moan as his mouth closed over my clit and sucked greedily. I went rocketing towards outer space again, eyes rolling and legs trembling as I neared climax and utter destruction of all my body cells. The fire in me burned brighter, and I moaned out my pleasure loudly in a slur of his name, pleadings and curses.

He slid both fingers into me and I went soaring over the edge, thrashing and bucking as he continued to lick and suck me through it. I finally relaxed into the mattress, starting to come down from my orgasm, feeling spent, when it began to build again as a result of Eric's mouth still against me. His tongue swirled around my clit before dipping low and replacing his fingers within me, sending sparks shooting through me. I gasped loudly, reaching down to take hold of blonde locks as my orgasm continued to build again right away. The pace of his tongue increased brushing just the right places to make my eyes roll. Eric continued hungrily, licking, sucking, and nibbling me as my body coiled again. When I exploded seconds later, I let it out with a long groan, my legs closing on instinct, making Eric finally remove his mouth.

"Eric," I moaned as his hands spread my legs, granting him access once again. His fingers caressed my sex up and down slowly as he looked up at me. It was an uncomfortable feeling, it was still sensitive. I couldn't take anymore. I needed a break. "Wait…can we take a little break? I need to catch my breath and start getting feeling back to my limbs."

Eric shook his head, rising up on his knees to kiss me deeply for a moment before returning to his previous place. "Trust me, lover," he insisted. "Just relax."

His mouth returned to me, tongue lapping quickly making me squirm. I moaned in response, trying to relax like he said and trusting the discomfort to go away as promised. It did after a few seconds of his mouth and fingers working me. I teetered on the edge again after only seconds and was exploding again in no time. My back arched and I nearly screamed as the orgasm rolled through me. Eric continued his assault even hungrier, his fingers pressing deeper, making my orgasm stop its descent and shoot right back up and through me. I cried out again, my whole body trembling as I tried to scoot away from Eric's probing mouth. He grabbed me by the hips, yanking me back towards him as he continued, holding me down to the mattress so I couldn't escape him. He brought me right back up within seconds making another shoot right through me, only this one didn't descend it stayed right at its peak ebbing and pulsing as his tongue swept over me. I thought I was going to die from the overwhelming feeling, my brain feeling like it was turning to mush until finally Eric removed his mouth from me and it descended almost immediately.

I laid there spent, feeling like a puddle of goo. I didn't know if I could take much more of it, but Eric didn't give me much choice as he sat up, licking my taste from his lips and sliding his warm body over me. I gasped as he touched me. I still felt sensitive, my sex throbbing and aching slightly as his fingers moved down to caress me.

"I want you. _Now_," he whispered in my ear, kissing my cheeks and nose as he rolled both of us, landing with me on top of him.

He took control of my hips, making me straddle him as he sat up, holding himself up with one arm as his mouth found mine. His kiss distracted me as he positioned me over him and slowly lowered me down. I pulled away from his mouth with a gasp, moaning as he filled me inch by inch until I could take no more. My head lulled back exposing my neck as he reclined backwards, taking my hips in hand to lift me up and down onto him. I slowly picked up his rhythm, leaning over his chest to kiss him as he brushed every right spot within me. His eyes closed and teeth clenched as we moved together, a string of Swedish words rolling out of his mouth. I sat up again bracing myself with two hands on his chest. I was moaning loudly, for once not caring or having to worry about immediate family members being close enough to hear. Eric's hands gripped my hips hard enough to leave bruises as he brought me down onto him repeatedly, bringing me higher and higher.

Eric shifted after a moment, using vampire speed to change position. I was blurring through the air for a few seconds before landing on my hands and knees with Eric behind me. I gasped at the sudden change, one strong arm wrapping around me and pulling me in toward his body. His chest pressed against my back and his lips caressed the side of my neck. I moaned at the feeling of him being so close, his muscles rippling against my flesh. I hesitated though as something occurred to me. He still felt warm. Only now he was really warm, almost feverish. I opened my mouth to mention this, but Eric entered me quickly, filling me as I let out a surprised yelp. One hand curved around my hair, gripping firmly but gently as his other slid around to my stomach. He felt incredible and...hot...it was such a contrast to his normally cold skin.

"Eric," I moaned trying to focus. "You're so hot."

He didn't respond as he leaned over my back, still moving within me as his lips caressed my shoulders. I got lost in the feeling again, my body starting to coil ready to come undone at the long sure strokes. I gripped the bed sheets beneath me tighter, moaning loudly, pressing further into Eric, and trying to meld our bodies together. We moved in perfect sync, sliding against each other-. Wait. None of this was right. His body felt slick, like he had poured baby oil all over himself, allowing me to slide against him. Was he sweating?

"Eric-," I started, beginning to feel more concerned than aroused. This wasn't normal at all. Even I knew that.

He continued to ignore me and moved again, changing positions. He withdrew from me and grabbed my arm, spinning me around until I landed on my back beneath him. I looked up into his face as I gripped his biceps, I could see the beads of sweat on his brow and feel his skin burning. I hesitated in confusion, looking up at him, and wondering just what was wrong with him when he entered me again. I jumped at the instant pleasure sensation, my fingers digging into his skin as a cry burst forth from my lips. He continued his same rhythm, pushing me back towards the edge. I tried to stay focused, but my mind was lost in the sensations he was creating within me.

His head bent low, lips caressing my ear as one hand tangled in my hair again. "Cum for me lover," he demanded in a husky growl.

I watched his fangs unsheathe with a click and then he was plunging them into my neck. The sudden pain mixed with my pleasure and made my orgasm wash over me like a tidal wave. I felt Eric tense as well, groaning against my throat as he drank me in and spilled himself into me. He pulled and pulled at my blood with each stroke as I lay beneath him trying to come down from my orgasm. Eric pulled away from me suddenly with a pain filled groan, rolling over to lie at my side. I sat up quickly pulling the sheet over my naked flesh as I looked at him. He was lying on his back, eyes closed and one hand on his chest. His teeth were clenched and he was breathing heavily. Why was he breathing when he didn't need too?

I reached for him, he was still hot. "Eric," I said touching his arm which was sleek with sweat. "What's wrong with you?" I felt myself starting to panic.

"My heart," Eric said softly, his eyes on the ceiling.

I blinked in confusion, my hand immediately rushing to rest on his chest. I froze when I felt movement, not just his breathing, but a steady drum of something involving life beneath his sternum.

"Eric..." I gasped looking down at him in shock. "Your heart is beating."

* * *

**Sooooo...just go ahead and click the little button down at the bottom there and tell me what you think...**


	15. Trust And Humanity

**A/N: Hello readers! Sorry that I left you with a big cliffy like that, but I have returned with another update. I will try and have the next update up in a few days if I have enough spare time. I kinda wrote this chapter in a rush so I'm sorry for all the errors and what not. Let me know what you think. **

**Happy Holidays! **

**

* * *

**I was waiting to wake up.

Waiting to wake up in a cold sweat in my bed with a gasp, my brain still slightly foggy from this crazy nightmare where Eric and I had, had passionate sex and somehow in the midst of it all, he had turned human. This couldn't be. It wasn't possible. Eric was a thousand year old vampire that didn't have color to his skin, that didn't need to breathe out of necessity, and definitely did not have a heartbeat. He was _not_ human.

But as I sat up in surprise, pulling the sheet up to cover my naked body, looking down at him he did have color to his once pale skin. And he was definitely breathing, no panting, out of necessity; and I had already felt his heart beating beneath his chest. He was sweating and there was a slight red blush to his now sun kissed colored skin. I could see it, feel it, and hear it. He _was _human.

"Eric…." I breathed shaking my head slightly. "I…I don't…understand. What's happening to you?"

Eric remained silent, his eyes still staring blankly up at the ceiling, while his hand rested over his now beating heart. He seemed so calm; as if him suddenly turning human was no big deal and this happened all the time. I expected him to be freaking out. I _wanted _him to freak out so I would stop feeling as if I was the one going crazy.

_Maybe I am just…having some weird day dream,_ I reasoned with myself. _Maybe…my mind is just playing tricks on me and I am just imagining these things. _

I reached over to touch him again, trying to prove to myself that this was all just my imagination running wild. I knew that when I touched him, his skin should be cold and pale. I shouldn't be able to feel his veins throbbing beneath his skin or his heart beating. But as my palm rested over his skin next to his, I felt all those things. And it made me panic even more.

"Eric!" I yelled using my other hand to whack him on the arm as hard as I could. I was trying to snap him out of his daze. "What the hell is going on with you? You are supposed to be dead!"

Eric hissed in pain and looked at me in surprise as he flinched. He had felt pain when normally I hit him and it didn't even phase him. I could feel his heart skip a beat or two before it went back to a normal rhythm, only this time a little faster than before. His arm immediately turned red from where my hand had made contact with the skin and when I touched the area again it felt warm. His body was reacting naturally to trauma to the skin. Blood rushing to the area, slight warmth. Everything a normal body would do. A normal _human _body.

"I am well aware that I am supposed to be dead, Chase," Eric said irritably as he sat up, pulling the sheet up to cover his lower half. "And if you wouldn't mind relaxing and keeping your hands to yourself I just might be able to figure out what is going on."

I huffed and shook my head, my brain trying to comprehend the situation. He was right. I needed to calm down. I took in a deep breath and tried to steady my own fast beating heart. I felt like I was going to hyperventilate and my throat felt hoarse and dry. Water. I needed some water. I rose from the bed and grabbed my robe, pulling it on before walking quickly to the kitchenette. I grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the faucet before drinking down the whole glass. When I was finished I filled another and drank it as well, as my brain surged through the many possibilities of what could have happened to him.

_Maybe we had too much sex? Maybe…I sexed him back to life?_

I laughed out loud, nearly choking on my water at the thought. Not possible.

_Maybe…someone put a spell on him? Like…a witch or something…_

I shook my head. Witches don't exist.

_Well then what the hell?_

"It's you."

I looked up when I heard Eric's voice and found him walking out of the bedroom, zipping up his pants which he had put back on. He was still breathing. His skin was still slightly tan, not pale. And there was still a sheen of sweat covering his skin. He was still human.

"What are you talking about?" I asked setting my glass down and raising an eyebrow.

Eric took careful steps toward me, coming to stand closely beside me. I could feel the warmth radiating from his skin. I looked up at him and felt want rush me. He looked gorgeous dead, but he was even more gorgeous as a human. It was amazing what a little color to the skin and warmth could do to make him look so different. He was practically glowing with humanity.

"It's you," he said snapping me out of my thoughts. "_You_ did this to me…You made me human."

I blinked, taken aback by his accusation. "Me?" I huffed, shaking my head. "Me? I couldn't have…that doesn't make any sense…I didn't even feel the energy or anything…I doubt I am even capable of doing that with my power anyway!"

Eric shook his head. "I am not talking about your power…I am talking about your blood," he explained further. "I drank more from you than I ever have before and now my heart beats in my chest." He grabbed my hand gently and placed it right at the center of his bare chest. I could feel his heart thudding below. His voice was low and soft as he continued. "I'm breathing. I sweat. I feel pain. I am…_human_ because of you."

I was suddenly finding it very hard to breathe with him so close; with his warmth right beneath my flesh. I didn't know that a heart beat could turn me on so much. I shook my head, trying to regain my senses. Now was not the time to be turned on. Even if his eyes seemed to be bright, and his warmth was so inviting, and I could just imagine what the saltiness of his skin would taste like with that sheen of sweat covering him-.

_Chase! Focus!_

"Eric, that's impossible," I said snapping back to attention and focusing on what he had said. "I know I can read minds and move stuff and crap, but that doesn't mean I am capable of turning a vampire human."

"You're blood, Chase," Eric elaborated. "You're blood is capable…that is the only explanation."

I huffed. That made no sense. My blood was not some sort of miracle cure to vampirism. Eric had drank my blood plenty of times and he had never turned human. Even the psycho vampire Justin had fed on me and he was still vampire…as far as I knew. There had to be another explanation. Someone had done something to him. Someone or some_thing. _

"Eric…it's just not possible," I reasoned shaking my head and pulling my hand away from his chest. "There has to be some other explanation."

Eric's face softened as he reached up to cup my cheek. His hand was warm; it sent fire racing through me. He looked down at me seeming much more gentle than he had been before as a vampire. How could he be so different?

"I have done nothing differently…except ingest more of your blood," he said softly, his fingers tracing the line of my jaw. "Even you know that…"

I sighed as what he said began to make sense…and the feel of his warm skin against mine made my body tingle. "But…what about Godric? He…died...that's something that changed…could that have-."

Eric shook his head sadly making me fall silent. "Plenty of makers have died before their progeny's and there has never been this result before…"

I sighed again trying to absorb all of the information. It was too much to take in. Too much to even try and comprehend. First it was the telepathy, and then the telekinesis, and now my blood could turn vampires human? What the hell was happening to me? What was I?

"You…you really think _I _did this to you?" I asked softly looking up at him.

Eric hesitated, as if even he was unsure for the moment, but then he nodded. "Yes, Chase…I think it is you…"

I groaned feeling flustered and angered by this new ability of mine. I was getting less and less normal by the day. "So what now, Eric?" What do we do? What happens to you? Are you just…going to be human from now on?" I questioned pulling away from him completely and beginning to pace in the small space. I was still growing angry at how calm he was about all of this. I wanted him to panic right along with me. "I mean…where do we go from here?"

"We have to deal with this situation very carefully," Eric replied thoughtfully. "We don't even know if the effects are permanent…And if any one were to find out about this and the reasoning behind my sudden humanity then you would be in danger."

I blinked. "Me? Why would I be in danger?"

Eric rolled his eyes, looking at me as if I were stupid for not understanding. "Your blood has the ability to turn a vampire human. If the humans found out they would probably seek to harvest your blood to create a permanent cure to vampirism. Even if these effects last for just a short time, some vampires would want to try it on themselves…or worse destroy you so that a cure could never be procured," he explained.

I stood there in shock as he told me what possible danger I could be in yet _again_. Just what I needed added to my list of "reasons that I could be killed", _blood that could possibly be used to create a permanent cure to vampirism. _And to boot not only would more vampires want to kill me, but now also psycho humans! _Great…._

Eric closed the space between us again and touched my face gently. "I would not want any of those things happening to you…which is why we are going to handle this situation very carefully and tell _no one_," Eric said softly.

I hesitated at his closeness and affection. Everything seemed to be changing even Eric. He was human now, and if this became something permanent for him then what would that mean for us? Could we be together and happy? If there was no blood, death, women, or even vampires. If it was just us…leading normal lives…couldn't we make that work? He already seemed so different just because of a heart beat. He seemed kinder, gentler, and more affectionate. I could deal with an Eric like this. It was the vampire Eric that I couldn't stand. But like he said, we didn't even know if this was a permanent situation…and if her were to remain a human there would be a lot of explaining and danger involved.

"We can't tell _anyone_?" I asked looking up at him.

Eric shook his head. "We cannot. We must protect you. No one can know. It's too dangerous to trust this information with anyone."

"What about Sookie?" I asked cautiously. "I trust her….obviously you trust her enough to share your blood with her." There was a bit of a bite to my tone, jealousy practically dripping from my lips, I had intended for him to hear it. I was still hurt about the blood swap with Sookie situation, amazing sex and his humanity couldn't make me forget it.

Eric frowned slightly, his hand dropping from my face. "Sookie shares everything with Bill Compton and it is him that I do not trust. And there is a reason that I shared my blood with Sookie…and it is not for the reason that you think," he said softly.

"Then what reason is it?" I asked raising an eyebrow at him. "I would really like to know."

Eric straightened his body. "I cannot share that information with you right now…but one day I will," he said. "For now…you are just going to have to trust me…"

_Trust_. That was such a fickle word when it came to Eric Northman. I didn't know if I could ever trust him. Everything that surrounded him was just far too complicated and dangerous. But I also loved him with just about every fiber of my being and _wanted _to trust him.

"But if you stay human, how do you expect to hide this from the vampire world?" I asked. "You're a sheriff. The vampires will know. You have color to your skin. You breathe. You have a heartbeat. It's not really something that you can hide."

Eric hesitated, his eyes dropping as he thought about it. "I will have Pam change me back," he said after a moment.

"But…would you want that?" I asked him softly. "Would you want to go back to being a vampire?"

He hesitated as if he hadn't thought about it. Something flashed behind his eyes, some emotion that made him frown for a moment before he recovered and nodded. "Of course. I would be immortal once more. I was a lousy human and if I change back no one besides Pam would ever know it occurred."

I said nothing in return. I got the feeling that he didn't mean what he had said, but I didn't want to press. This was all my fault after all. My blood had done this to him when he hadn't wanted it and if he wanted to turn back to save me then I would let him. It was his decision to make.

"Eric-," I started not sure what I was going to say, I stopped when I heard my cell phone ringing.

Eric tensed and pulled back from me. "You should probably get that."

I nodded and moved around him, walking into the bedroom and picking up my cell from where I had left it the night before. I didn't recognize the number on the caller id, but answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Ms. Morgan?"

I frowned at the unfamiliar voice. "Yes…who is this?"

"This is Todd Matthews. The private investigator that you hired to look into your background?"

My heart fluttered. "Oh. Yes. Uh hi…"

"It seems that I may have found something that you should see…is there any way you could come down here this morning?"

Butterflies erupted through my stomach and hope filled me. There was hope and amusement in his voice and I took this as a good sign. Had he finally found something that could help me find my parents? Or help me at least figure out who I am? I was suddenly anxious and nervous. How could all of this be happening to me in one day?

"Of course. I am on my way. Thank you," I said quickly before hanging up.

"Who was that?"

I turned at the sound of Eric's voice to find him walking into the bedroom looking at me expectantly. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. "That was Todd," I said eagerly. "The private investigator I hired to look for my parents. He thinks he may have found something."

Eric's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You hired a private investigator to look for your parents?"

I nodded. "He wants me to go meet him right now. I have to go," I said walking past him to grab some clothes from my suitcase.

"Perhaps I should go with you," Eric said making me pause and looking at him.

"Eric…the sun is out…and what if you change back while we are out?" I asked abruptly.

"I'm sure I will be fine," he said determinedly. "Besides I would like to see the sun…if I am only going to be human for even a moment…"

I wasn't too sure how I felt about him coming with me. Aside from the fact that if he changed back he would burn to a crisp like Bill had when he had come to save Sookie, I could be finding out something about myself that I wasn't sure that I wanted anyone to know. I wasn't sure that I could trust him with such information about me. He always had a way of taking advantage of things like that, but what he had said moments ago made me think twice.

_For now…you are just going to have to trust me…_

I wanted to trust him, but he had hurt me nearly every time I had tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. It was always more and more chances with him and I wasn't sure that I had anymore to give. _Just one more, Chase_, I told myself. _Just one more…he's human now for the moment…he has a soul…maybe this will change things..._

"Okay," I said smiling weakly. "Let's go."

I changed into one of the less revealing black dresses and wore my hair down to cover Eric's bite marks. I grew increasingly more anxious and nervous as I changed and when I was finally ready to go, the butterflies in my stomach were raging violently and I felt like I was going to puke at any moment. I wondered what Todd had found out. I hoped that it was everything that I needed and that I wasn't going to be disappointed. I wanted this to be the day that I actually found something that would tell me who or what I was. The day that my existence would be complete.

Eric left his jacket behind and wore his trademark black on black t-shirt and jeans combo. I pulled my coat on and headed for the door with him following close behind me, but paused after unlocking the door.

"What if someone sees you?" I asked looking at him over my shoulder.

"It is morning. All vampires are resting right now," Eric reasoned. "Besides I doubt anyone of importance will see me. As long as we return before nightfall we should be fine."

I nodded and took a deep breath before pulling the door open and jumping when I found Sookie standing behind it, her arm raised as she was about to knock. _Shit_, I thought as her eyes looked from me to Eric and back. _So much for no one of importance seeing him. _

"Sookie!" I said quickly. "Hey….uh what's up?"

Sookie's brow furrowed as she looked down at me in my coat and then to Eric. I could see her brain trying to figure the situation out. "Uh…hey…what are ya'll up to?" she asked slowly.

"Umm…nothing. Eric was just walking me to the door. I am on my way," I said nervously.

Sookie raised an eyebrow and looked at Eric. I knew she saw the change in him immediately because her face fell and her head cocked to the side just the slightest bit as she took him in. _Crap_, I thought with a sigh.

"Eric…are you…breathing?" Sookie said leaning in to get a closer look at him. Her face fell even further as she recognized more signs. "And your…skin isn't pale and…is that sweat?"

I looked at Eric only to find him smirking and rolled my eyes. I didn't have much time to deal with this. I needed to get downtown. I grabbed Sookie by the arm and yanked her into the room, shutting the door and turning to find her looking at us both with a questionable look.

"Eric is human," I said with a sigh putting my hands on my hips.

Sookie's face fell and her jaw dropped as she looked from me to Eric and back in surprise. She stayed this way for a long moment before she finally recovered and started laughing. "You are joking right?" she said looking at me.

I shook my head. "No. I'm not. His heart is beating and all," I said motioning to him.

Sookie stared at me in disbelief before looking at Eric. She huffed and walked over to him placing a hand on his chest and holding it there for a few seconds before her jaw dropped and she looked up at him in shock, then at me.

"Oh my god! What…what…how...what the hell did ya'll do?" she said pulling her hand away from him, her southern accent thicker.

I hesitated looking to Eric, wondering if we should tell her the whole truth. Eric crossed his arms over his chest and spoke for me. "I am about to tell you something that you cannot share with _any one_," he said threateningly making Sookie look up at him in surprise. "If you do, Chase's life will be in danger and she could be killed. Do you understand, Sookie?"

Sookie nodded anxiously. "Yes, I do. I won't say a thing."

Eric took a deep breath and then sighed. "Chase and I were…intimate" -I rolled my eyes and put my head in my hands at the overuse of detail- "this morning and during the course of it, I ingested a lot of her blood. Much more than I normally would during…said activities…and this" –he motioned to himself, specifically his heart- "is the result."

Sookie blinked and then shut her eyes for a long moment. When she opened them again she moved her arm in front of her in a windshield wiper movement as she shook her head. "I'm sorry…let me…get this right. Are you saying that Chase's _blood_ did this to you?" she asked incredulously as she looked at us both.

Eric remained silent. I only nodded.

Sookie huffed again and looked at me in shock. "My god…what…how…" Sookie started in a stutter. She paused for a moment to gather herself and then started again. "How on earth is your blood capable of this? I mean is it permanent? How much exactly did he take?" she stopped after the flow of questions when suddenly her eyes widened and she looked at me. "Would it work on Bill?"

"Sookie!" I gasped. I instantly saw what Eric meant by not telling anyone and people wanting to use my blood to turn vampires human. "I am not some cure to vampirism nor will I be passing out my blood. I'm a person you know. I do _need _my _own_ blood to live. This happening with Eric was…an accident."

Sookie looked slightly ashamed. "I'm sorry, Chase. You're right…I just…this is…amazing. This is…crazy…how is this even possible?" she said looking between me and Eric. "I mean Eric is human…Does Godric know?"

My face fell at the mention of Godric's name and I saw Eric tense. I forgot that Sookie hadn't known. No one knew yet except Eric and I. Sookie sensed the change in the room and her face fell as well.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked looking at me with a frown.

"Godric…is gone, Sookie," I explained softly. "He met the sun at dawn."

Sookie looked like a ton of bricks had dropped from the sky and hit her head in the head. Tears welled in her eyes and she looked at Eric. "Eric…I'm so sorry to hear that," she said reaching up to wipe at her eyes before her the tears escaped. "I know…he was important to you."

Eric straightened his face blank as he looked at Sookie. "Thank you Ms. Stackhouse, but Chase and I have a previous engagement which we need to be leaving for."

Right. My meeting with Todd. "Yeah…I will come and talk with you when I get back though," I said looking at Sookie.

"Wait. You are really going to go out in the sun?" Sookie asked looking at Eric. "What if…what if you burn up?"

The concern in her voice made that jealousy creep up in me, but I suppressed it. Eric asked me to trust him and I was trying desperately to do that. _Just relax, Chase_, I told myself.

"Everything else about me is human I think I will be fine," Eric replied walking towards the door.

Sookie followed and stepped through the door after Eric opened it. I stepped out after her and then Eric followed. We said a short awkward goodbye to Sookie with me promising to call her in the end. Eric and I walked silently down the hallway until we reached the elevator and walked inside. Even though he had said nothing I could tell Eric was nervous, I could tell by his tense body language. I would be if I were him and I was going to see the sun after a thousand years.

When the doors to the elevator opened on the sun light lobby, Eric hesitated for just a moment. I got a sudden urge to hold his hand and walk him off the elevator, but I knew Eric was too dignified for that. I could imagine that he was probably slightly afraid that if for some reason he would burst into flames if he stepped off the elevator and the sun bathed him, but like he had said to Sookie everything else about him was human so he should be fine. This was just the final test.

I stepped off the elevator before him and waited, turning to watch him step off into the sun light. His arm came up slowly to shield his eyes which squinted closed, but he didn't burst into flames. I half expected him too, but he didn't, he stood there bathed in a beam of sunlight. Human. His arm dropped and he looked down at himself in slight surprise, before looking back up at me with a smile playing at his lips. I couldn't help, but smile back at him as he started heading for the exit and I moved to follow.

We caught a cab and I gave the cab driver the address of my destination and sat back into the leather beside Eric. His eyes were trained on the window staring out at the sunny scenery that passed by. I felt as if I should say something, that this moment shouldn't pass in silence. Here we were sitting in a cab together, riding towards downtown Dallas in the middle of the morning, with the sun bathing both of us. Something that I thought would never happen to us. But I couldn't find anything to say so I let it be.

When the cab stopped in front of Todd's private investigation agency I was more anxious and nervous than I had ever been my entire life. Eric paid the cab driver and we both climbed out, me leading the way to the door. Eric held the door open for me and when I stepped through I saw Todd's daughter sitting at the desk. She smiled weakly at me and I returned it; my eyes moving to look for Todd next. I found him sitting at his desk across from a woman. They both rose when they saw me come in, a large smile on Todd's face. The woman turned to face me, her long dark hair whipping back from her face. She was beyond beautiful and when her grey eyes locked with mine I felt my stomach sink.

"Chase…this is Charlotte Munroe," Todd said motioning to the woman standing across from him with silent tears streaming down her face. "Your biological mother."


	16. Are You My Mother?

**A/N: Hey all! Sorry that I haven't updated this story in so long. My muse decided to go on a long vacation and I was struck with a case of major writers block. If this chapter is lacking then I apologize. I'm still trying to recover and bounce back from this stupid writers block! Let me know what you think either way! This chapter is kind of short, but the next one will be longer hopefully. Bear with me please! And thanks for being a faithful reader!**

* * *

I stood frozen, staring wide eyed at this woman before me. I would be lying if I said she wasn't beautiful. The kind of beautiful where you would stop dead in your tracks just to admire her if you saw her walking down the street. Her hair was dark, long and flowing, curling like cascading deep brown waves around her face. Her grey eyes sparkled. She looked so familiar to me that I couldn't understand where it is that I would know her from, when I suddenly realized that the reason she looked so familiar was that she looked like me. She couldn't have been any older than my adopted mother even though there wasn't a wrinkle anywhere on her smooth pale skin. She was smiling even though silent tears ran down her face and she was wearing a long sleeved, long black dress that ruffled at the bottom.

I didn't know what to say or do…I could only stand there.

"Chase?" Todd said making my eyes snap to him. "Are you alright?" he sounded concerned and I figured that I should probably say something.

"I'm….fine…I am good," I replied nodding slowly.

I felt Eric come up behind me closely, one hand on the small of my back, slightly pushing me towards this woman, Charlotte. I hesitantly went closer, not liking the growing pit in my stomach. I thought that when I finally met my mother or father I would instantly remember them or feel something _joyous_ about even being near them. But I didn't feel like that at all. I felt like I was walking into a trap. Something about this woman screamed '_danger!'_. I fought the urge to go running out of the building and grabbed Eric's hand instead making him look down at me in surprise. He must have read something on my features because he didn't pull away; he squeezed my hand comfortingly and walked forward with me.

Charlotte's smile only grew as I came closer; stopping once I was at least an arm's length away. She was staring at me as if I was something that she had never seen before and was in awe of. I tried to swallow my feelings of danger from her, but couldn't ignore them. Coming closer had made the energy in me begin to swell and swirl violently, waiting to come out if she tried anything. If she really was my mother I couldn't remember any reason to be afraid of her, but my body did, and it was waiting to act at the slightest movement.

"Chase…my daughter," Charlotte said shaking her head slightly as her arms opened as if she were expecting a hug. "I can't believe I have finally found you. It is so good to see you darling."

I suppressed the urge to flinch and reluctantly released Eric's hands to go into her arms. I tried to make a connection with her, but found that I couldn't with her skin being completely covered. She was also careful not to place her hands on any of my exposed skin. It was as if she knew how my power worked and was keeping me from reading her thoughts which made me even more wary of her. I pulled away from her as carefully as I could, trying not to let on just how creeped out and worried about her I was. I forced a smile as I looked into her grey eyes that matched mine.

"It's good to see you too…er…Charlotte," I replied with a brief moment of hesitation. "I didn't want to call her mom. I wasn't still completely sure that I believed she _was_ my biological mother.

Charlotte's smile faltered just the slightest bit, but remained upon her beautiful face. Her eyes turned to Eric next and one of her eyebrows arched, a look came over her face that made me want to slap her, but I resisted. With a great deal of effort.

"Is this your boyfriend?" she asked stepping toward Eric and glancing back at me as she reached out to shake his hand.

Eric shifted uncomfortably, before looking at Charlotte blankly, his lips quirking just the tiniest at a weak attempt at a smile. "Eric Northman," he said extending a large hand. "Chase's…" he hesitated, glancing at me sideways. "_Friend_."

I sighed inwardly. I truly didn't know what to call Eric nowadays. I didn't even know if I was truly ready to attempt this whole relationship thing with him. What was meant to be our last fling turned into him being human and me meeting my biological mother. He and I were on uncharted territory and I felt way too overwhelmed to deal with all of these emotions at once. But he was definitely not my husband.

"Charmed," Charlotte said still eyeing Eric.

Eric's smile faltered, but it held. "Likewise."

She released his hand finally and turned her grey eyes back on me. I almost flinched. "I'm sure you have so many questions to ask me," she said breathlessly, with a soft smile. "And I have so many for you too…It's been so long…I haven't seen you since you were just a baby."

I hesitated, sharing a glance with Eric. Even he knew that I was adopted as a toddler, not a baby. "What do you mean a baby?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Charlotte's face fell and she looked at Todd quickly before looking back at me. "Well…I thought you had been told …" she said slowly as she clasped her hands together.

"Told what?" I demanded crossing my arms.

Charlotte seemed flustered. "Well you were taken from me moments after you were born…." She trailed off as if she were ashamed.

"What do you mean? I was adopted as a toddler. If I was taken as a baby then how do you even know if I am really your daughter?" I reasoned. "And just who took me from you?"

Todd immediately began to look disconcerted and Charlotte frowned deeply as if said something that had greatly offended her. "I recognize my own child when I see her no matter how long it has been since I last saw her," she said softly although through clenched teeth. "And I would expect her to know her own mother."

Anger rushed through me like a tidal wave, making the energy swell within me. She was not the woman who had raised me for the past twenty years or the woman who used to tuck me in at night or the woman who made me feel better whenever I felt sad. As far as I was concerned this woman was a stranger. As far as I was concerned she was _nothing _to me.

I stepped toward her angrily. "My mother's name is Mary Morgan and she is the woman that has raised me for the past twenty years," I spat back. The energy within me struggled to break free and my teeth clenched as I held it back. "I have no idea who the hell you are lady."

Charlotte let out a gasp and a look came across her face as if she wanted to slap me. And that was my cue to leave.

"Thank you Todd but I am no longer in need of your services. You can bill me for the rest of what I owe you," I said heatedly. "Come on Eric let's get the hell out of here."

I turned on my heel and went storming from the building not bothering to see if Eric moved to follow. I was out of the building and halfway down the block when I felt a strong hand grab my arm and turned to see that it was Eric. He was out of breath from running to catch up with me, which I would have laughed at if the situation we were in weren't so grave.

"She may be my mother, but something does not feel right," I explained before he could ask. My voice was shaking and so were my hands and I realized that it was from my body struggling to keep the energy at bay, which was rolling and swirling violently within me wanting to be set free. I swallowed hard and tried to continue what I was saying to Eric. "She…She….something just isn't right."

Eric placed his hands on my shoulders. "Chase, calm down. Take a deep breath. If something doesn't feel right then…" he paused and looked behind him, before looking back at me and shaking his head. "Well then we forget about her."

I sighed and did as I was told, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. It helped somewhat, the whirling of the energy in my stomach subsiding somewhat, but not enough that I could relax my hold on it. I put my head in my hands. "I don't understand it, Eric. Every fiber of my being told me to stay away from her. My own mother-and she may not even be my mother! She said she hasn't seen me since I was a newborn which doesn't make sense because I was adopted as a toddler! She said I was taken from her and maybe for good reason. She's probably some psycho."

"Chase, everything is going to be alright," Eric said softly pulling me closer into the warmth of his chest.

I couldn't help, but snuggle into the warmth of his chest, surprised at how much comfort I found there. It was as if I was dealing with a whole new Eric, kinder, gentler, more understanding one. And I was more smitten with him than I ever was in this moment. I pulled back and looked up into his blue eyes that were sparkling in the sun and I couldn't help the rush of heat that spread through me. Something shifted in the air between us and Eric slowly began to lean toward me, his lips inches from mine. I was suddenly breathless as I looked up into his eyes. His lips touched mine and my heart all but burst in my chest. He kissed me long and hard and passionately, making an unwanted flood of emotions rush through me.

How could all this be happening in one day? Meeting my psychotic mother. Eric being human and now him being so tender and different? I couldn't deal with it all. I needed to get out of Texas.

I pulled away from him quickly with a wet popping sound, making Eric frown down at me. There was hurt in his eyes made my heart sink, but this was all too much to deal with it. I was only going to handle one thing at a time and the first being getting back home. I would deal with all my emotions toward him once I was safely in Bon Temps.

"Let's go back to the motel," I said swallowing a lump that was forming in my throat. "I want to go back to Bon Temps."

Eric hesitated, but nodded turning on his heel and heading down towards a main street to hail a cab. I stayed right next to him, walking closely and trying to put the events that had just occurred behind me. This Charlotte woman may have been my mother, but something about her rubbed me the wrong way. I wanted to know why I was taken from her, and just who had taken me, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to find out this information from her. Everything in me was telling me to stay away from her and I was planning to do just that.

* * *

We rode back to the hotel in an uncomfortable silence. Eric couldn't seem to find anything to say and neither could I. When we arrived back at the hotel Camilla I felt anxious to get back to the simplicity -although weird- existence of my home in Bon Temps. I had, had my fill of Dallas and all the drama that had come with it. I trudged down the hall behind Eric, who dug into his pocket for our room key.

I waited behind him as he slid the card key into the lock and looked at me over his shoulder. "Pack your things and I will make arrangements for our flight home," Eric said as he turned the door handle and stepped into the room.

I nodded and moved into the room as he held the door open for me. He flicked on the switch before shutting the door and both of us were shocked to see a woman standing in the living room area of the room. Her back was turned to us, but the way that my body tensed and the energy swirled inside of me, I already knew who she was before she turned around. Her long dark hair swung with her head, and her grey eyes locked with mine. Charlotte Munroe was standing in the living room of my hotel room and it both pissed me off and terrified me immediately. How the hell did she know where I was staying and what the hell was she doing in my room? And how the hell had she gotten here before us?

"What the hell are you doing here?" I blurted before I could stop myself. I moved to take a step toward her, but Eric put his hand out quickly, placing it over my stomach and making me stop. I frowned up at him, but didn't try to move another step. Clearly he was feeling just as uneasy about this situation as I was. And he didn't have his vampire strength or speed to back him up in case anything happened.

"Chase, I just felt so bad about the way we were introduced," Charlotte replied softly looking as though she were about to cry. "You are my daughter and I want us to be friends."

I hesitated, starting to feel somewhat bad to how I was reacting to the whole situation. If she was my biological mother then she deserved a chance to get to know me…and perhaps I _had_ gotten a little upset to quickly over what she had said. But I still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. My instincts told me not to trust her and so far all my heightened instincts had been right.

"Look, Charlotte, I understand that you want to know me and all, but I'm just not ready," I said softly, trying my best not to sound mean. "And you sneaking into my room isn't going to help the situation so please leave."

Charlotte frowned. "Chase, I just wanted to-."

I put my hand up, making her halt mid sentence. "I don't want to be friends with you. I don't even know you. I'm not even sure I trust you, so just get out now," I replied pointing to the door.

Charlotte's face fell in defeat and for a moment I thought she was going to leave. And then a change came over her beautiful face that I did not like. It made her ugly and evil looking and the energy swelled in me abruptly. A tension rose in the room and I felt another energy sweep through the room, not my own, but _hers._ It didn't feel as powerful as mine did when I used it, but I still could feel it none the less. The energy within me began to swirl violently, ready to manifest at the slightest movement or action that meant she would hurt me or Eric. She must have felt the presence of my power, because the minute it erupted within me, hers faltered just the slightest.

"You are like me…" I breathed as I felt her power sweeping through her; it was growing with each passing second. She was making it swell to compensate for mine. "You have abilities."

Charlotte looked smug as she smiled mischievously at me and raised an eyebrow. "No…not like you," she said shaking her head. "You, my beautiful daughter, are something for more amazing than Dominic and I anticipated."

I hesitated raising an eyebrow. Who the hell was Dominic? She continued before I could ask.

"I have been looking for you for twenty something years and the way that I finally find you is through an idiotic private detective with little to no experience. All it took was for one person to dig into your past and I got whiff of you right away," she said shaking her head with a sigh. It seemed as if she was talking more to herself than she was to me. "One phone call and here you are after years and _years_ of searching."

I still said nothing and a fear crept up in me. I was confused. I felt like an idiot for searching for her. Whoever had taken me from her was obviously doing it to protect me and I had just put myself back on her radar. _Great. Just freakin great. My own mother is a psycho._

"What do you want?" Eric asked his voice not as soft as it had once been earlier. It sounded like the vampire in him was returning.

Charlotte turned grey eyes upon him and her smile grew. "My daughter of course," she said as if Eric were stupid for even asking.

"For _what_?" Eric continued through clenched teeth.

Charlotte chuckled lightly and took a step toward us, making Eric push me behind him. Charlotte frowned at this and her face set into a deep scowl. The tension in the room rose as her power amplified just a little faster making mine swell as well. I was still stronger than her even when she was trying to call up everything she had. She knew this the same way I did.

"You're a powerful little thing," she said softly, sounding slightly surprised. "But I am more in control of mine. Whatever gifts you have manifested you don't have control of them just yet. I can see it in your head."

So she was a telepath, just like me, but she didn't need touch to do it apparently. It seemed to put Eric and me at a disadvantage, but if I was stronger than her then I could stop her if she pulled something….at least I hoped.

"Look just tell me what you want," I said looking at her from behind Eric. It seemed silly that I was standing behind him when I was the only one of us strong enough to defend us. He was just a human now after all.

"I had plans for you the minute I conceived you, but _he _took you from me and has hidden you for this long," Charlotte said taking another step forward. Eric backed up again and the energy in me swelled, threatening to break free from my hold. I didn't want to use my power just yet, I wanted answers. "It put a damper on my plans, but I can still use you for what I intended."

The confusion in me was just pilling up. I didn't know what the hell she was talking about. Who was _he_? And who was Dominic?

"You lay one finger on her and you will surely regret it Ms. Munroe. I can promise you this," Eric threatened with one of his menacing glares. His voice had returned to the deep monotones his vampire self used and it made a chill run down my spine. Perhaps he _was_ turning back.

"Even if you were your normal vampire self, Mr. Northman, there would be nothing that you can do about it," Charlotte spat back.

Eric's face fell in slight surprise and so did mine. She knew that he was a vampire? Right. The telepathy. She was reading our minds as we spoke.

"Look, I don't know what you really want me for or just how you got so crazy, but I am not going to let you do anything to me," I informed her determinedly.

"And human or not I promise you that if you harm her in any way I _will_ kill you," Eric threatened through clenched white teeth.

Charlotte took a step toward us and Eric tensed in front of me. "You aren't going to do a damn thing."

The air in the room shifted and Charlotte thrust her hand forward, a bright light erupting from her palm and suddenly Eric was being flung across the room and I could not move. I fell to the ground, completely paralyzed watching in horror as Eric flew through the glass doors that led to the bedroom, landing in a bloodied heap amidst shattered glass. I tried to call out to him, but I couldn't speak. I could feel my power surging through me, trying to break free, but whatever was paralyzing me was stopping it. My breathing increased in a panic as Charlotte walked towards me, a malicious smile upon her full lips. She knelt beside me as I let out a weak whimper, her fingers reaching out to caress my hair.

"You are so beautiful," she said softly, shaking her head as if she hadn't expected it. "I never wanted to see you this way…It wasn't supposed to be like this…"

I stared up at her in confusion, wondering just what the hell she was talking about when Eric suddenly came into view, tackling Charlotte to the floor. She screamed in surprise as he pinned her to the ground and her concentration was momentarily broken allowing me to move.

"Run, Chase!" Eric shouted as he struggled to hold my psychotic biological mother to the ground.

I didn't need telling twice. I jumped to my feet, running for the door when I heard Charlotte cry out in frustration and Eric grunt in pain. I turned in time to see her use her power against him again, sending him flying off of her body and into the wall as she recovered and rose to her feet. He hit the wall with a heavy thud and fell to the ground unconscious. The light burst from her palms again, but this time I was ready. I could feel it when her power came rushing at me, trying to paralyze me once again, but my own burst from me, wrapping around me to shield me. It rushed right at her, sending her flying backward and colliding with the fireplace before landing with a sickening thud on the ground. My knees buckled beneath me as a sudden wave of weakness hit me and I crumpled to the ground. I took deep breaths, keeping my eyes on Charlotte, who lay unconscious on the ground, as I tried to recover. The energy returned seconds later and I felt fine allowing me to rise back to my feet and rush to Eric's side. Each time I used my power, I recovered quicker and quicker.

"Eric," I said kneeling next to him as I rolled him onto his back.

He looked up at me groggily, his face nearly covered in blood. He had small cuts all over him from where he had crashed through the glass and I could see blood in his mouth as well. It shocked me to see him this way. I had never seen him hurt before without instantly healing seconds later, but he wasn't a vampire anymore. He was human and obviously hurt badly. I took him into my arms trying to lift him to his feet.

"Come on. We have to get the hell out of here, before she wakes up. Come on Eric, get up," I said pulling him to his feet.

He groaned slightly as he tried to find his footing and I struggled under his weight. I moved slowly toward the door, dragging Eric right along with me, but was stopped when I felt a hand tangle in my hair. I screamed in surprise, my power trying to manifest, but it was stopped by something. Charlotte's power.

"You are coming with me whether you like it or not," Charlotte commanded through clenched teeth as she dragged me kicking and screaming toward the door. "I am not letting you go again."

"Eric!" I screamed, hoping that he had recovered and would come to my rescue, but from what I could see from the corner of my eye he was still on the ground where I had dropped him. "No! Eric!"

Charlotte was just reaching the door when it burst open, making her halt in her tracks. I expected to see the police or hotel security, thinking someone had called the police or front desk about all the commotion, but found a man instead. He was shockingly tall, probably an inch or two taller than Eric and just as handsome as Eric if not more, his hair dark and his eyes a bright blue. He looked to be his late forties although his face was smooth and there wasn't a streak of grey upon his hair. The look on his face was one of pure fury and once Charlotte saw him she stopped immediately, but did not let me go. I had no idea who this man was, but I hoped and prayed he was here to help me and not her.

"Connor," Charlotte said her voice a mixture of surprise, disgust and fear. "You got here sooner than I expected."

"I will give you _one chance_," Connor replied through clenched teeth, motioning to me. "Let her go."

I sighed in relief, hoping that this man who had chosen to be my guardian angel was enough to intimidate Charlotte into releasing me, but the way her grip on me tightened told me otherwise. "She is _mine_," Charlotte answered. "_My_ _daughter_. And there is not a damn thing you can do to stop me from taking her."

I felt Charlotte's power surge out of her and right at Connor, but he stopped it. My eyes widened as an overwhelming energy filled the room and I realized that it was coming from him. The power Charlotte sent rushing at Connor backfired and came rushing back at her and me full force. It hit us with an intensity strong enough to send us flying backward. My body collided with something hard and suddenly everything went black.


	17. What am I?

**A/N: Greetings! Here is another update. Let me know what you think! I don't really like this chapter, but here it is anyway!**

* * *

My head was killing me.

That was the first thing I realized as I blinked my way back into consciousness. My head was killing me and it hurt to try and move. I was getting real sick of waking up like this. A part of me wanted to just continue lying where I was and drift back into unconsciousness, but I forced my eyes to open and take in my surroundings. I was lying on the floor against the wall of the hotel where the force of Connor's power had sent me and Charlotte was gone. I sat up with a groan, looking around for Eric, when I saw him right where I had left him on the ground when Charlotte grabbed me. I rose to my feet slowly to rush to his side when I noticed Connor still standing in the room breathing heavily. His blue eyes fell on me and my heart skipped a beat as I panicked, not knowing if he was truly on my side or just another long lost family member who knew what I was and wanted me to himself.

I backed up a step as he took a step forward and found myself pressed into a wall. "Who are you?" I questioned hurriedly. "What do you want?"

Connor brought his hands up which made me flinch, thinking that he was channeling a power, but he was just showing me that he was defenseless. "I am not here to hurt you, Chase," he answered. "I'm here to keep you safe."

I huffed. "Flinging me across the room? Yeah that's real safe," I replied incredulously.

"I'm sorry…when I bounce back that much power it's hard for me to channel it properly," Connor replied as if it were an everyday occurrence that I should be aware of. "I really would never want to hurt you, Chase."

"Who are you? You still have yet to mention that," I said quickly. "And how the hell do you know who I am? And just how in the hell did you know where I was and-."

"Chase!" Connor shouted cutting me off as he held his hands up higher. "I can explain all of this later. What we need to do now is get you out of here to somewhere safe, before she comes back. I didn't send her very far."

"Send her-?" I started in confusion.

"Another thing that I can explain later," he said walking towards me with an extended hand. "Let's go."

I recoiled from his touch still not sure that I should trust him or go anywhere with him. And I was definitely not leaving Eric. "Look I don't know you and I'm not even sure if I can trust you and I am not leaving my friend-Eric here alone-," I started looking to where Eric was still unconscious on the ground.

"Listen to your body," Connor replied softly. "Do your instincts tell you not to trust me?"

I hesitated. The energy wasn't swirling in me; in fact it hadn't come up at all. But just because my body seemed fine with him, didn't mean that my mind was. Connor seemed impatient as his hands dropped to his side and he sighed. I choose to trust my body. It seemed I had very few people to trust in this world and I was going out on a limb here.

"Help me with him," I said with a defeated sigh rushing over to Eric's side and attempting to lift him.

"There's no need," Connor said coming to my side as he extended his hand to me once again. "Just take my hand and I will get us out of here."

I looked up at him confused, but took the large hand that he offered. He used his other hand to touch Eric's arm and suddenly I was breathless. A bright white light burst in front of my eyes and I felt as if something had yanked me out of time. I felt as if I floating blindly through the light when my feet hit something hard and suddenly I could see. A sick wave of overwhelming nausea over took me and I brought my hand up to cover my mouth in case I puked but it subsided as I realized we were all in the living room of a modern suburban looking family home. Eric was lying on the floor while Connor and I stood over him. I spun around in surprise taking in the couch and coffee table and the normalcy of the place when my eyes finally fell back on Connor and my eyebrows rose. Had we just teleported? Who was this guy?

"Did we-?"

"Let me get the first aid kit and then we can talk," Connor said as he lifted Eric up by his shoulders and placing him carefully on the couch. He turned on his heel and headed toward an archway, disappearing through the opening that I assume lead to another room.

I looked around his living room, taking in the couch and coffee table and bookshelves lined with books. There was a large plasma screen television on the wall and DVD rack with a large collection of movies. The walls were painted a mellow tan looking color and the color of the furniture matched. I rose to my feet walking to the window, pulling back the long brown curtains expecting to find myself in the middle of the suburbs, but gasping when I found us in the middle of the nowhere. There was nothing but miles and miles of empty dry plain surrounding the house, there was a dirt driveway and a large SUV sitting out front. I began to panic, worrying about just where in the hell Connor had taken me when he returned with a first aid kit, a towel and a wet wash cloth.

"Your friend is hurt pretty bad?" he asked motioning to Eric.

I sighed as I walked over to Eric and knelt beside him. His gorgeous face was nearly covered in blood. His blood. I felt bad knowing that this was my fault. If he was still a vampire then he would be perfectly fine, he would have self healed by now. But he wasn't a vampire any more thanks to me and was probably suffering through a lot of pain and possibly internal injuries. Who knew what the force of Charlotte's attacks had done to him.

"I think so…I don't know…he normally self-," I cut myself off quickly not wanting to share too much information with this man that I truly barely knew. He could still turn out to be a psycho just like Charlotte.

Connor gazed at me curiously as I ended my sentence abruptly, but handed me the items he had retrieved from the other room. Connor backed away from me slowly and took a place against the wall, watching me intently as I began cleaning Eric's face with the wash cloth. I expected him to wake up, but he didn't stir.

"Will Charlotte come here?" I asked Connor, looking at him over my shoulder. "Is this place safe?"

He nodded. "She can't sense this place…she could never get here…"

"And just where are we?"

"My house."

I huffed. "Obviously, I mean where is your house located?"

"We are still in Texas," Connor answered. "Not far from Dallas."

I nodded as I took that in, before halting my cleaning and turning to face Connor completely. "So…are you going to tell me who you are? And just how it is that you knew that I was going to be attacked by my psychotic biological mother today?"

Connor shifted uncomfortably where he stood. He didn't say anything for a long moment as if he couldn't find the words to describe himself. I raised my eyebrow impatiently, frowning up at him when he finally sighed. "I imagined that when I saw you again it would be under completely different circumstances," he said softly as his blue eyes dropped. "And I hoped that you would somehow remember me once you say me, but apparently you don't."

I felt like I should have been apologetic for this as he looked at me with a bit of hurt in his ice blue eyes. Clearly he was someone from my past, most likely before I was adopted.

"I'm…your father, Chase," he said softly.

My heart stopped beating entirely in my chest and my face fell. For a long moment I could do nothing, but stare up at him as my brain tried to comprehend the information he was telling me. Connor looked at me almost bashfully after saying the words surely seeing the way my face fell in disbelief. He paused to let it take effect before continuing.

"And I knew she was going to be there because I sensed it when she found you."

I took a moment for this all to process. The fact that this man was claiming to be my father and the fact that he could somehow _sense_ when Charlotte found me and his ability to teleport; I felt as if I was going to faint. I shut my eyes for a moment gripping the bridge of my nose, before I looked back at Connor and tried to see some resemblance of myself in him. I looked more like Charlotte, but I could see some features of myself in him. But just because I looked like him and he had abilities like I did, didn't mean that I could believe or trust what he was saying. I needed some form of proof. And even if he really was my father it didn't mean that this was a good thing. Charlotte had tried to kill me for her own personal agenda, for all I knew he had one too.

"How do I know you are telling the truth?" I asked rising to my feet and crossing my arms. "How do I know that you aren't just some other psycho trying to use me for my abilities?"

Connor seemed almost offended at first, but then he smiled weakly at me. "Your birth name is Chase Marie Munroe. You were born August 3, 1986. I know this because I delivered you myself. I took you from your mother right after you were born to protect you and raised you myself for the first two years of your life…and if you don't believe me then you can read my mind," he said extending a large hand. "I wouldn't lie to you…"

I hesitated, looking at the large hand that he was offering and back at his familiar face. I realized that when he had taken my hand earlier to bring Eric and I here, I hadn't read his mind which I found odd. Had I touched him before from my childhood? Was he actually telling the truth? Or did his abilities block him from me the way Sookie's did? I wanted answers to all these questions finally. I wanted to know who I was. I wanted to know _what _I was. But something in me made me pause. The real question was, was I _ready_ to know all these things? Was I ready to face the truth of my past and deal with it in my present? I wasn't sure. But I was going to find out anyway.

I took a deep breath before I lifted my hand and clasped Connor's. The moment that my skin made contact with his I was propelled into his mind full force. His thoughts and emotions swarmed me, but they were much more organized than most peoples. He was thinking of everything specifically that he wanted me to know. What he wanted me to see….

_His head was filled with images of my Charlotte's face from a long time ago, before she had turned cold and menacing; before she was pregnant with me. He had loved her more than he had ever loved anything, and still did even though she had betrayed him. His head was also filled with the images of me, from the moment of my birth right up to the time he had to abandon me for my own safety. He had raised me in the very house that we were sitting in. In his head I looked like a happy toddler that loved him just as much as he loved me, which was a lot. It made my heart flood with emotion as I saw all the memories that he had of me before he had to give me up. _

Connor withdrew his hand from me and I came out of his mind, finding that tears were streaming down my face. This man _was_ my father, and he had stolen me from Charlotte to protect me. I could feel his love for me, nearly pouring out of him. Connor looked down ashamed, his feet shuffling beneath him. When he looked back up at me I saw water brimming his eyes. I wiped at my eyes, not wanting to cry in front of him.

"I…I don't understand….why did you have to take me from Charlotte? And why did you have to leave me in that house?" I questioned, unable to stop the tears from falling. "Why couldn't you keep me? And where have you been all this time?"

Connor sighed heavily. "I gave you up so that Charlotte couldn't get a read on you. If you went off with a normal family and had a normal life she would never where you were. As long as you were with me you would be easier to find."

I wiped at my eyes some more as more tears escaped. "Normal? My life has been far from normal. I have had these powers inside of me that I don't understand and things have gotten much weirder lately and aside from vampires, fang banger killers, and crazy vampire hating church people wanting to murder me now my own mother wants to kill me to boot? That is not normal Dad. Not normal at all!" I said angrily. "You should have been there! You could have helped me with these things!" I jumped when I realized that I had called him Dad. It seemed so strange, but it had flown out of my mouth naturally.

"Vampires? Fang banger killers?" Connor said sounding confused as he stepped toward me. "What have you gotten yourself into Chase?"

I huffed and wiped at my eyes. "You have _no_ idea."

Connor sighed and shook his head. "Look, this isn't the life that I wanted for you okay? I promise you that…I thought that when I married your mother I could have a normal life away from all the magic and stuff, but it turns out she was just as abnormal as I was and I didn't even know. She tricked me. She only married me for what I am…so that she could have you. I had no idea this was in store when she got pregnant with you."

"What do you mean abnormal? What is she? What are you? Hell, what am I?" I asked crossing my arms. "What is going on?"

Connor shifted uncomfortably again, but maintained eye contact. "I am…a witch," he answered finally. "Which makes you half witch as well…although you are much more powerful than I am…or anyone in my family has ever been."

My face fell again for the umpteenth time that day. My jaw fell next. "A _witch_?" I said incredulously. "I'm a freaking witch?"

"Half witch," Connor corrected.

"Still! A witch? How is that even possible? Witches don't exist!"

"They do."

"But don't witches need spells and potions to use magic?" I countered. "I mean I don't have a cauldron or a spell book or anything."

Connor smirked, even though I didn't find this an appropriate time for it. "Not all witches need spells and potions. Low level witches with barely any power do to call up the magic, but beings like you; you have an unlimited power supply in you that doesn't need spells or potions. You are the best kind of witch. A manifestor."

"A manifestor?"

"Yes. You manifest your own magic. You could do just about anything that you wanted…if your powers weren't bonded," he answered with a sigh.

"Bonded?" I blurted out with a gasp. "What do you mean bonded?"

"When I had to…leave you I attempted to bind your powers…its one of the few things that I can do…" Connor explained.

"But…I can read minds when I touch people…And I can move things," I started, confused.

"You are a powerful being…a lot more powerful than me…my bind was apparently not strong enough because if it had worked completely then you would not be able to do anything," he answered. "Do you get weak after you use these abilities? Specifically when you use a lot of power?"

I nodded. When I had used my telekinesis for the first time I had felt weak and many times after I had too. It was as if any time I used it a lot I felt weak.

"It's the bind," Connor continued. "It keeps you from tapping into the full power of your abilities. You can do far more than read thoughts and move things. And you would be able to read minds _without_ touching people."

"Why did you bind my powers in the first place?" I asked him feeling flustered by all the information I was receiving.

"I wanted you to have a normal life…" Connor started with a weak smile. "And if you didn't have any powers, it would be almost impossible to find you."

I sighed, running a hand through my long dark hair. I was so powerful that my father couldn't even bind my powers properly. I could have had a normal life with my adopted parents, possibly one that didn't involve vampires and all the other madness that was involved with my life. But it hadn't worked. Just like everything else in my life it had gone wrong.

"So why does Charlotte want me?" I asked softly. "You still haven't told me that."

"It's not really her that wants you…It's Dominic."

Dominic? There was that name again. The name that Charlotte had mentioned. "Who is he? What does he want?"

"Dominic is the vampire king of Texas," Connor answered with a sigh.

My face fell in surprise. "What does the vampire king of Texas want with me?"

Connor opened his mouth to answer, but it was Eric's voice that came out.

"Chase?"

I jumped at the sound of Eric's confused voice and turned to find him sitting up slowly on the couch. I walked to him quickly before kneeling beside him and touching his blood dried covered cheek. Eric looked around confused, his face frowning in pain and disorientation.

"Where are we?" he asked looking back at me with a raised eyebrow.

"We are at…my biological father's house," I answered slowly glancing back at Connor over my shoulder.

Eric's eyebrows rose in surprise and he looked at the man standing against the wall hesitantly. He looked back at me asking a silent question of "are you sure?" with a look on his face. I nodded. "I read his mind," I said with a nod. "He isn't lying…He came to help."

"You are lucky to be alive," Connor said walking forward. "Charlotte usually kills anything that gets in her way, especially when it comes to Chase."

Eric huffed, sitting up completely and throwing his legs over the side of the couch as he rubbed the back of his neck, wincing in pain. "Trust me, she tried," he mumbled.

"I'm sure that as an ex vampire you are not used to human pain," Connor said with a slight frown, making Eric look up at him in slight surprise.

"How did you-?"

Connor cut me off before I could finish. "Yes, I know what you are _supposed _to be. Don't worry you will be back to your old self tomorrow morning."

Eric hesitated, looking at me before looking back at Connor. "So this is just…temporary?" he almost sounded hurt.

Connor nodded. "Yes…."

I felt my stomach sink slightly as I realized that this new Eric would disappear tomorrow a little after dawn. And all the worries I had and the possibility of us starting a _real_ relationship right with it. Eric's eyes dropped to the floor as I looked back at Connor.

"Why only 24 hours?"

"Because unless he ingests _all_ of your blood then the effects are only temporary," Connor answered.

"How do you know all this?"

"Your mother told me the night she went into labor with you. Apparently whatever you are is a very rare thing…there has only been one other like you and they were killed as a child. It is a theory that Dominic wanted to test. I never believed it, but apparently it does work."

Eric and I shared a glance as I took in _more _information about myself. Eric had been right about vampires wanting my blood if they were aware of what it could do. It all clicked in my head as I thought about it more. Why Charlotte had conceived me and why Dominic had ordered her to conceive me.

"He wants to be human," I whispered as my eyes widened in surprise.

"Who?" Eric asked.

"Dominic," I answered absently. My eyes turned to Connor. "That's why he had Charlotte conceive me. He wants to be human…"

Connor nodded. "That is one of the many reasons he could seek to own you."

"But why?"

"Why do you think?" he replied. "He loves your mother, and she is not getting any younger. He wants to be human because she is eventually going to die and he would like to die with her I imagine."

Eric blinked in confusion. "A vampire willing to die for a human?" he asked incredulously.

"He wouldn't be a vampire. He would be human," Connor replied.

"But can't he just stake himself or something?" I asked Connor with a frown. "Or why doesn't he just change her into a vampire? Why do _I_ have to die?"

"Because your mother _can't_ become a vampire," Connor replied. "She isn't human."

"Well then what the hell is she? Besides crazy? What is the other half of what I am that makes me so special and rare?" I asked desperately.

Connor sighed. "I don't know."


	18. Where do we go from here?

_**A/N: Hello! Sorry for such a long hiatus but I went through writers block and a bunch of other crap with this chapter. Im still not happy with it, but I really want to finish this story so here it is! Let me know what you think! Thanks to those of you who are still reading!**_

* * *

I couldn't take it anymore. It was all too much for any normal person to take.

But then again I wasn't normal, was I?

I had been doomed right from conception. I was doomed to be some Vampire Kings meal and it was my own mothers doing that this all had come to be. I felt so small and insignificant in that moment; Knowing that I was only conceived just to be killed. I couldn't help, but wonder why fate had decided that I was the perfect candidate for such a screwed up life.

"I….I need a minute…." I said shaking my head as I tried to absorb it all. "Is there…a bathroom?"

Connor nodded and pointed to the foyer of the house. "The stairs…First door on the right."

I nodded again and glanced at Eric who was watching me blankly. I worried for a second about leaving him alone with Connor, but _I_ needed to be alone, so he would just have to bear it. I followed Connors directions and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time before I reached the bathroom. I stepped inside and shut the door behind me, flicking on the light before leaning against the door and sighing heavily. I let my eyes shut before I sank slowly to the floor and hugged my knees to my chest. It felt good to be alone in complete silence. My life had been chaos since Cassandra had died and it seemed to just be getting worse every day.

"Why me?" I mumbled with a groan before tossing my head back against the door sparking a sharp pain through my skull as I made contact with the wood. "Please god tell me, why me?"

My question was met with a soft knock on the door, Eric's voice followed shortly after and he almost sounded concerned. "Chase, can I come in?"

I hesitated, wondering if I wanted to break my silence and alone time to allow the Viking in. I scooted away from the door and pressed myself against the counter beneath the sink before muttering that Eric could enter. The door opened slowly and Eric stepped in, looking down at me with a slight frown before closing the door behind him. He looked around the small bathroom for a moment and then slid down the door just as I had, crossing his long legs. I would have laughed had we been in any other situation to see him sitting Indian style on a bathroom floor, but I was not in a laughing mood.

"So…." I started slowly. "I'm a witch."

"So it seems," Eric replied calmly.

"And my mother wants to kidnap me and serve me up to the Vampire King of Texas."

"Appears that way."

"My life is screwed up."

Eric hesitated for a brief moment as if he were going to say otherwise, but nodded slowly. "Unfortunately at the moment it is…" he agreed.

I sighed. "I want to go home, Eric."

"I don't think that's safe, Chase," Eric replied with a frown. "You are in real danger right now. If Charlotte finds you-."

"She is going to find me either way now," I cut in. "And there really isn't anything Connor or you-as a human- can do to stop it."

"I will only be human till tomorrow morning and Connor says that this house is protected-."

"I want to go back to Bon Temps," I said firmly before he could finish. "I want to make sure my parents and brother are safe and that Charlotte doesn't go after them to try and get to me."

"I will send Pam to watch over them. It will only take one phone call. There is no reason for you to leave the safety of this house."

"Uh, how about my sanity? What am I supposed to do, Eric? Just stay here my whole life hiding? Charlotte isn't going to stop and we both know that," I reasoned. "All we are doing is passing the time until she finds a way to get me."

"I am not going to allow you to put yourself in harm's way," Eric answered seriously. "For the moment Connor is the only one able to protect you, so here is where you will stay."

I frowned at him as my arms crossed over my chest. I felt like a child being scolded. "Wow, Eric I had no idea that you were my father too and could tell me what to do," I replied sarcastically.

Eric surprised me by allowing a smirk to slide across his face. "I am not trying to boss you around, Chase, he said softly as he scooted closer to me, leaning forward to so that his elbows could rest on his knees. "I am simply trying to keep you safe."

"Why, Eric?" I asked matching his movements and leaning forward. "Why do you care about my well being so much? Is it because you want to use me too?"

Eric's frown returned. "After everything that you and I have been through is that really what you think?"

I hesitated, thinking about it all in my mind. The trouble and pain he had put me through, and all the feelings that he had made me feel. He could seem so brilliant and amazing at times, damn near perfect. And then he would turn around and become the devil. I once thought I knew how he really felt about me, what he really wanted me in his life for. But I wasn't so sure these days. Especially not after what he had put me through with the whole Sookie thing. But everything about Eric was so damn confusing and now with him being human I didn't know what to think anymore.

"Eric," I said with a small sigh as I leaned back into the counter. "I really don't know what to think anymore."

I covered my face with my hands, hoping that I could hide from the world and most of all Eric at that moment. I felt his hands firsts, warm and heavy as they wrapped around my wrists. He pulled and I was forced forward awkwardly, my breasts pressing into his firm chest as we were nose and nose. I looked into his blue eyes suddenly unable to breath as I felt his lips brushing mine. _Here we go again_, I thought as my eyes closed and I anticipated his kiss. But it never came.

My eyes opened to find out why, finding Eric staring at me intently. His hand released my wrist and moved upward, cradling my neck as he continued to look into my eyes, our faces less than an inch apart.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Chase," he said so seriously that it sounded like a promise. "_You can trust me._"

He kissed me then before his words could sink in. His tongue sliding into my mouth and dancing slowly with mine. I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my throat from the passion I felt, that immediately was followed by want. Heat rushed through me and his skin got warmer against mine. The kiss deepened as I moved my body forward, straddling his lap as my hands went into his hair. Eric's arms tightened around me, crushing my body into the warmth of his.

Here I was again, in the same position that Eric always managed to get me in; wrapped up in his world. Things should have been different with him being human, tender, warm, but they weren't. There was still that part of me that didn't trust him, that _couldn't._ That part also believed that Eric cared about and _wanted _Sookie, as much as he wanted and cared for me…if not more. I didn't think I could ever truly trust him, and though for the moment he _was_ different. It didn't change what would happen once Eric was back to his normal vampire self the lies and the pain and the deception would probably start all over again.

_But god he's a good kisser…._

A knock on the bathroom door snapped me out of the sexual daze I was about to be in, and I pulled away from Eric with a loud wet pop. I scrambled off of Eric, adjusting my dress which had hiked high up on my hips. Eric followed me to his feet, adjusting himself and his hair before pulling open the door to find Connor standing on the other side. I flushed with embarrassment and hoped that my face hadn't turned too red as I gazed at my recently met biological father after just having made out in his bathroom.

"Mind if I borrow my daughter for a moment?" Connor asked looking at Eric.

"By all means…." Eric replied motioning towards me.

I turned a deeper shade of red I'm sure and stepped out of the bathroom. Eric didn't follow.

"Mr. Munroe, if it isn't too much trouble may I use your shower?" Eric asked making Connor look at him.

"Help yourself," Connor muttered. "Towels are in the cabinet. I can getcha a change of clothes in a minute."

"Thank you for your hospitality," Eric said with a short bow.

Connor nodded and headed for the stairs, leaving me to look back at Eric awkwardly before following after Connor. We reached the landing then turned into the living room where Connor sat on the couch. I sat beside him and found him staring at me with a facial expression I could not read.

"Are you okay?" He asked simply with a raised eyebrow, his voice full of concern.

I hesitated, my eyes dropping down to my feet for a moment. "As fine as I can be with my own biological mother wanting to kill me," _And the vampire who I am desperately in love with- even though I don't want to be- turning human, all in one day. _"I uh… I'm just trying to take it all in…"

Connor nodded slowly, his own eyes dropping for a second before finding me once again. "Look I just want you to know that…even though your mother didn't….even though she…" he shook his head clearly at a loss for words.

"Even though she didn't want me?" I finished for him with a shrug. It was the truth after all.

Connor shifted uncomfortably. "Yes…that…I just wanted you to know that… I wanted you, Chase. From the moment you were born, you were the very air that I breathed and I did everything that I could to protect you…and when I gave you up it was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do. But I did it because I loved you and wanted you to live as much as a normal and safe life as you could. If I would have known when I met her…if somehow I had been able to…" he trailed on shaking his head, his face full of shame.

It was my turn to shift now. I felt bad for him; he had fallen in love with a psychotic woman who gave birth to his daughter who was doomed from the moment of conception. I believe that he did care for me and that he had done the best he could to protect me. I couldn't really blame him for what had happened. But I could blame Charlotte.

"How did you two meet anyway?" I asked.

Connor sighed heavily. "We met at a fair."

My face fell a little. "A fair?"

"Yeah...I was young then, barely into my twenties and she...well she was young too or at least I thought so then...and she was just..." he trailed off again shaking his head. "Well she was gorgeous…and funny...and smart... and just...perfect."

I huffed. Perfect? I would have chosen the word psychotic, but the happy and smiling Charlotte I had seen in Connor's head did seem perfect to him. I could see why he had fallen in love with her. She was a dream girl that he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with. I couldn't deny she was beautiful. I had her to thank for my looks apparently.

"We were together for two months before we eloped," he continued staring off as if he was envisioning it in his head. "My grandmother hated her, wanted me to have nothing to do with her, and she had no family to speak of and….we just wanted to be together…so we ran away…I should have listened to my grandma though…she was right about Charlotte all along."

"Your grandmother?" I asked looking at him. I had completely overlooked the possibility of me having more biological family besides him and Charlotte. "Is she alive still?"

Connor nodded. "Yes she is…she raised me after my mother died giving birth to me. I haven't spoken to her since the day Charlotte and I left…I don't think she even knows you exist."

I smiled sadly, seeing the hurt in his eyes. It was amazing how much Charlotte had ruined his life and then my own just by wanting to have me for Dominic's sake. Had she not thought about the consequences of all this? Had she not thought about how much she would hurt whatever poor man she found to carry out her plan?

"Is your grandma a….a…?"

"Witch?" Connor finished for me. "Yes all the magic in my blood comes from my mother's side. All the women in my family are witches. I was actually the first born male in the history of their line, which is the reason why my power is so limited. Everyone in the family believed I was an abomination and that my mother's death during my birth was a sign that the blood line was doomed and would end with me. But I wasn't the last Munroe…." He said looking at me with a small smile. "You are here…"

"So you aren't in contact with any of the family anymore? None of them know what's going on?"

"The only one left alive is my grandmother…and us."

"Oh…so what can you do then?" I asked changing the sore subject. "What are your powers?"

Connor sighed and rubbed his hands across his jeans. "Well…My powers are mainly defensive. I can teleport and deflect power that's sent at me."

"And you can bind powers too right?" I asked further. "Isn't that what you did to me?"

"Only the powers of my children. Not any other witches."

"So you can't stop Charlotte?" I said with a sigh.

Connor shook his head. "No…I can't. And believe me I have tried. I have tried to kill her a few times…but she always lives."

I frowned, looking at him confused. "What did you do to her?"

Connor's eyes and shoulders dropped as if in defeat. "The night you were born…I had kidnapped her from Dominic's mansion. She was weakened from the labor pains and she couldn't use her powers to defend herself. After I had safely delivered you I planned to run away with you and raise you myself, but I also knew that she would never stop looking for you as long as she was alive and Dominic would always be able to find you as long as Charlotte could use her magic to track us. So I decided to kill her…for your safety..." he explained slowly, his blue eyes staring at the carpeted floor. "I injected her with a lethal dose of morphine and teleported us out of there. I thought we were safe, but a month later she showed up to our hiding spot…she almost got you that time. In fact that was the closest she had ever come to taking you back, but I stabbed her, right in the heart with a kitchen knife. She survived that as well."

I felt a small wave of panic sweep through me and I shut my mouth quickly as I realized that my jaw had dropped. If Connor couldn't stop her and had even stabbed her in the heart then what was I supposed to do? I was barely in control of what little power I did have thanks to the bind that Connor put on me, so I didn't know if I would be able to defend myself. But I wasn't going to try and hide from her. I didn't want to spend my life on the run. Even though my life in Bon Temps was far from normal I wanted to go back to my odd existence. I wanted to work at Merlotte's. I wanted to see my friends. I wanted to go back to school one day. I wanted a life period.

"She isn't unstoppable," I replied almost angrily. "She can't be….unkillable or whatever."

I stopped as I realized what I was saying. _Oh my god I am talking about killing my mother._

I rose to my feet quickly making Connor look up at me in surprise. "I told Eric earlier that I want to go home to Bon Temps. And that's still what I want to do. I don't want to hide here. I can't live like that. That isn't me. My life in Bon Temps wasn't exactly great or anything, but it was _my_ life and want to get back to it."

Connor stood, shaking his head. "I can't let you do that, Chase. Charlotte _will_ kill you."

"And what do you think she is going to do now that she knows where I have been all this time. She is going to find out about my mom and dad and brother back in Bon Temps or my friends and she may go after them to get to me. I have to go back home and make sure they are okay."

Connor hesitated. "Charlotte doesn't care about them. She is going to come straight after you."

"I don't trust that. I can't. I need to go back home and make sure that my family and friends are okay."

"How will you defend yourself?"

"Eric will protect me."

Connor huffed. "The vampire? Chase he probably wants to use you for the same reasons that Dominic does. How do you know he isn't working for him?"

I hesitated, unsure of how to answer. I didn't know if Eric was working for Dominic, and for all I knew Connor was right and Eric was just going to use me for the same reason that Dominic wanted me. But I couldn't believe that. I had to trust him didn't I? I _wanted _too.

"I trust Eric," I didn't even sound like I believed the words I had just said. "He will protect me. He's…different."

"And what about when he changes back?" Connor reasoned. "And he's a blood thirsty newborn vampire again; do you think he won't kill you then?"

I paused again. I hadn't even thought about what would happen when Eric turned back.

"He wouldn't hurt me."

Again it sounded like a lie.

"Chase, you're a grown woman now and I don't presume to think that because I am your father you will listen to me, but I am begging you," he said stepping towards me. "Stay here…where it's safe."

I shook my head. "I can't. I have to go home."

Connor sighed and hung his head. "Then I won't stop you."

* * *

My leaving Connor felt awkward and weird. I really wanted to go home, but it felt like I was losing something that I had just gained by going back to Bon Temps instead of staying so that he could protect me. I offered to let him come, telling him that he could protect me in Bon Temps, and meet Mary and Christopher and Isaac, my family. But he refused. He said that if we were together away from the protection of his home then it would be that much easier for Charlotte to find me, and I may have a fighting chance being alone and with Eric…until she found me at least.

I thanked Connor for everything as I hugged him goodbye. And I meant every word. Connor gave us the keys to his SUV to get us back to the airport which was about two hours away. He told us to just leave it at the airport and that he would pick it up later, Eric promised to pay for the fees and take care of me. Connor didn't seem very convinced but shook Eric's hand before we left.

Eric drove as I sat passenger, staring out at the dry plains of Dallas. We had been driving for an hour in silence when my phone buzzed in my coat pocket. I had almost forgotten I had it. I checked the caller id seeing it was Sookie and answered it.

"Hey Sookie."

"Chase, are you going to be home soon? I'm back in Bon Temps and things are….weird," Sookie replied sounding worried and concerned.

"What do you mean weird isn't that the norm for Bon Temps?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, I mean really weird. The whole town has gone crazy. There are people running around with black eyes and in their underwear. There's graffiti everywhere and toilet paper. Its madness!"

I frowned, thinking about the whole town, which probably included my mom, dad, and brother, running around in their underwear. I really had to get back home now.

"Sookie…are you sure?" I asked. "If this is some kind of joke…"

"No, Chase, I am dead serious! Me and Jason came home and two people jumped in front of our taxi van. We hit them and they just laughed and ran away. And the 'Welcome to Bon Temps' sign has a…" she paused before whispering the rest. "A penis sprayed on it."

I resisted the urge to laugh. It seemed crazy and funny, but she also sounded scared and worried. "Where are you, Sookie?"

"We are on our way to Bill's to wait for sundown. I have no idea what's going on. Is Eric still with you? We could use some help figuring out what's going here."

"We will be back in Bon Temps as soon as we can," I replied hurriedly. "I will call you when we land."

"Okay."

"Bye."

I hung up quickly and turned to Eric who looked at me curiously. "Sookie says that Bon Temps has gone crazy. There are people running around with black eyes in their underwear?"

Eric looked just as confused as I felt. "Is she alright?"

I gritted my teeth and ignored the pang of jealousy that I felt. "Yeah she is at Bills."

Eric nodded and turned his eyes back on the road. My eyes moved to follow and that was when I saw her, Charlotte, standing in the middle of the dusty road, inches away from the car. My heart nearly stopped in my chest and my hands gripped the door in anticipation of impact.

"Eric!" I shouted.

His foot slammed down on the brake to avoid hitting her, large hands jerking the steering wheel hard to the right. I felt my body lunge toward the window and the pain of my head hitting against the window which cracked under the pressure. The SUV rolled as scenery whipped past and I heard screams which I assumed were mine. Then everything went black.


	19. Dreams Coming True

**A/N: Hello all! I am back with another update. I had so much trouble writing this chapter, honestly this is the 5****th**** version of it. I rewrote it what seemed like a million times. I still don't like it haha Anyway here it is. Let me know what you think. I will hopefully have another update soon!**

* * *

I woke up to pain again for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, but this time it was accompanied by darkness. I lay there for a moment trying to come out of my daze and wondering just how long I had been out.

"Dammit," I groaned trying to lift my hands up to cradle my aching head.

I frowned when I realized that I couldn't and my brain snapped to attention as panic set in. My hands were tied behind my back by what felt like rope and they were tied hard enough to be tearing into my skin. I was lying on my back, with my legs scrunched up against me, in a closed confined space. My heart rate picked up as I started to pant and I tried quickly to sit up and hit my head on something hard forcing me to lie back as pain shot through my skull and made my headache worse.

"Shit," I breathed through clenched teeth as the pain roared through my skull.

I went still and listened, hoping to find some sort of sound that may indicate just where the hell I was. I could hear distant sounds of what seemed like an engine and after a moment I came to the conclusion that I was in the trunk of a car. But there was no way that Eric was in the small trunk with me, so where the hell was he? And just why the hell was I in a trunk? And who the hell was driving the car? _Great, _ I thought with a groan. _Just freaking great…I have to get the hell out of here. _I began rubbing my wrists together slowly, trying to loosen the tight ropes. I didn't know what the hell I was going to do once the car stopped, but I needed my hands free.

I froze as the car came to a halt and I heard the engine shut off. My heart raced even faster as I heard the sound of a car door opening and closing. I began rubbing my wrists together frantically, hoping to get my hands free by the time the trunk opened, but the ropes were to tight and I only succeeded in irritating my skin. The trunk opened with a quick swing and I let out a small yelp of surprise, looking up to see Charlotte gazing down at me.

_Crap._

I could see the fresh night sky behind her, the sky barely turned dark, which meant that I had been out for hours and we had made a long journey to wherever the hell we were. She smiled almost pleasantly down at me as I continued to frown up at her in confusion and irritation.

"Good, you're awake," she said.

I continued to frown and glare. "Where the hell did you take me? Where is Eric?"

"You're friend is probably dead in the wreckage where I left him," she answered nonchalantly as if she wasn't talking about the man I loved being dead. "Exactly where you would have been if I had left you there."

My face fell and I felt a stab of pain in my heart. My eyes started to water as I envisioned Eric lying dead beside Connor's wrecked SUV. "You..You just left him there? To die?" I said not understanding why I was shocked.

"He wasn't important," Charlotte replied absently reaching into the trunk and grabbing me by my arm to pull me up into a sitting position. "Watch your head," she added trying to pull me out of the trunk. I resisted at first, but Charlotte tugged harder eventually getting me out of the trunk and to my feet. My body was sore all over from the car crash, my right leg especially was throbbing around my ankle. And my head still hurt. My eyes were still watery at thought of Eric being gone, but I blinked past the tears refusing to allow Charlotte to see me cry. Just because she had left him there didn't mean that he was dead. He was Eric after all. I'm sure he had survived much worse. I just had to find a way to get out of there and get back to him and get him to a hospital. As long as he survived the night he would be a vampire again in the morning and everything would be back to normal for him.

_God damn my stupid blood for turning him human…_

Charlotte took a step back and looked me up and down, frowning disapprovingly. "You are a mess. This wasn't how I pictured Dominic meeting you for the first time," she sighed.

I frowned at her. "I'm sorry," I spat sarcastically. "It's kind of hard to look glamorous when a psycho crashes your car!"

"Oh I didn't crash your car, honey, your boyfriends poor driving skills did," she responded harshly taking me by the arm again. "Come on. We don't have all night."

I finally looked around, taking in my surroundings as I realized that we were standing in the middle of a circular driveway in front of a large mansion that looked like an old plantation mansion. It was honestly beautiful and elegant and painted white with black shutters covering all the windows. The landscape around the mansion was just as beautiful as the mansion itself, it was lush and green with red rose bushes surrounding the front porch of the house and fresh green grass everywhere. The drive way curved in a circle around the house and lead off down a long road which ended with a high white gate in the distance. I could see guards lining the perimeter of the house as well as the gate that lead to the house. I knew instantly where I was.

I was at the Vampire King of Texas's home.

Charlotte pulled me along behind her as she headed up the porch steps. Two large and menacing looking guards stood in front of the front double doors, their arms crossed and they turned dark eyes on Charlotte and me. Their fangs descended as we stopped in front of them making me tense and the energy in me begin to swirl, ready to defend myself. Charlotte seemed completely unphased by their fangs and huffed impatiently.

"Dominic is expecting me," she said flatly.

"The King and Queen are not allowing company tonight," the guard replied in a monotone voice, eyeing Charlotte and then me.

I frowned at the guard, looking to Charlotte whose face fell at his words. "_Queen_?" she breathed in disbelief.

I blinked in confusion. I thought Charlotte was Dominic's queen, even though she was not a vampire. But clearly she was not or she had been replaced in her time of searching for me. I felt it when the energy in Charlotte spiked, it made my own intensify in anticipation of hers being released. It didn't for the moment. But the anger was clearly shown on her face.

"No one is allowed in, Ms. Monroe," the guard said in a finaling tone.

Charlotte's teeth clenched. "As you both are clearly aware _I_ am not just _anyone_," she spat angrily. "Dominic has been expecting _her_," she pushed me forward a little to emphasize who she was referring too. "For 22 years. She is _important_. Now how pissed is he going to be when he finds out that you wouldn't allow me to bring her to him?"

The guard hesitated, sharing a glance with his co-guard who only stared at him blankly. He looked back at Charlotte, but this time seeming less determined. "I am under strict orders not to allow any visitors," he continued.

"I will make sure you don't get in trouble," Charlotte replied, her face softening a bit. I could tell it was fake. "But this _is_ important."

The guard hesitated for a second longer before both stepped aside and opened one of the doors for Charlotte. She smiled triumphantly and stepped forward pulling me along as we entered the foyer of the grand home. The inside of the home was just as beautiful as the outside. The walls were painted blood red with a white trim and the floor was white marble. A grand winding staircase sat in the foyer leading up to the upper level and three sets of closed white double doors leading to other rooms lined the foyer. The guard shut the door behind us leaving us alone in the foyer.

I waited for someone to come and greet us, but no one came. Charlotte released my arm and stepped toward the stair case. "Dominic?" Charlotte called impatiently.

I jumped as a set of double doors slid open to my right and saw a female vampire standing in the doorway. She looked young, barely in her twenties, but I assumed that since she was a vampire she was probably hundreds of years old. She wore a long white dress and had dark hair that curled around her pale face and down past her shoulders. A diamond necklace glistened around her neck and a she wore a bracelet on her wrist to match. She stepped forward with a stride and presence that demanded respect, her pretty face setting a scowl when she noticed Charlotte and I. Two large guards stepped out of the room and stood directly behind her, ready to protect her.

Charlotte moved closer to me, her own face set in a frown as she regarded the vampire before her.

"Charlotte," the female vampire said, her voice laced with disgust. Her slim arms crossed over her still chest. "I had no idea that my husband was still keeping you around to play with."

Charlotte's frown deepened. "It seems Dominic still has some interest in me, Queen Annabelle," she replied as politely as she could through clenched teeth.

Annabelle huffed at Charlotte's response and turned brown eyes on me. "What is that? And why is it dripping blood on my marble floor?" she asked, her face scrunching up in disgust.

I blinked in surprise and looked down at the floor around me, seeing that she was right. A cut on my arm was bleeding and dripping blood slowly to the floor. I began to panic a little, wondering what would happen once the Queen realized how sweet I smelt. Would she attack me?

"She is a present for Dominic," Charlotte answered touching my arm, it almost felt as if she was doing it protectively. "She got a little roughed up on the way."

Annabelle's look of disgust remained and she stepped forward taking a whiff of the air around me. She let out my scent in a soft sigh, the disgust leaving her face. Her fangs unsheathed with a click making the energy in me swell and my body tense as Annabelle smiled.

"Well she's filthy, but she smells absolutely delicious. Dominic will be pleased," she said looking at me as if I was dinner. "Jonathan?"

One of the guards standing behind her stepped forward awaiting his orders. "Take the girl to get cleaned up. I won't have Dominic eating her like that," Annabelle ordered waving toward me. She looked at Charlotte absently. "Charlotte you may go."

The guard reached for me and I stepped backward on impulse feeling my skin crackle with energy. The guard frowned and continued pursuit, but Charlotte came to my rescue, yanking me away from the guards grasp, making him halt.

"She is a present to Dominic from _me_ and I would like to be the one that presents her to him," Charlotte replied carefully. I could tell she was trying to hide the irritation and anger from her voice, but she was doing a poor job.

Queen Annabelle looked pissed and utterly offended by Charlotte's disobedience. "I see that while I have been away you have come to think you have some authority in _my_ home," Annabelle growled stepping toward Charlotte.

I braced myself for the fight that was about to ensue when someone cleared their throat above us. I looked up and found a man descending the staircase. He was handsome in a way that would make you stop and stare if you were walking down the street, and his hair was a dark wave slicked back from his face. His dark eyes scanned the scene below him as he took each step slowly. He wore a dark expensive looking suit, with a red silk shirt beneath the coat, and no tie. I found myself staring at him, nearly unable to move my eyes to look anywhere else until Annabelle spoke.

"Dominic, darling, there you are," She said, the irritation gone from her voice now as she smiled pleasantly up at her husband.

I felt my jaw drop slightly as I realized that this was the vampire that I had been conceived for. The vampire who had corrupted my own mother enough that she would kidnap me and bring me to him as some kind of offering. He suddenly wasn't so handsome anymore and I felt my face turn down toward a frown. I felt contempt rising within me.

"Charlotte has brought you a present," Annabelle continued as Dominic came to a halt beside her and looked us over.

"Well Charlotte," Dominic said in a voice that practically bled sex and lust. "What have you got here?" he asked taking careful steps toward us as a devilish smile spread across his face. "Dinner perhaps?" He leaned slightly closer to me and took a whiff of the air around me. His fangs unsheathed with a quick click as he caught my scent and his smile returned. "My..My..My, she smells like a treat."

"This is _Chase,_" Charlotte said tilting her head towards me. "My daughter."

Dominic's face fell instantly at the mention of my name and his fangs retracted with a click. Annabelle looked confused; gazing at her husband's suddenly shocked face and then at me as if she didn't understand what was so surprising. It was then I figured out what was going on. Annabelle had no idea that Dominic and my mother had this plan about me; she probably didn't know that Dominic was in love with my mother or vice versa. Maybe that was why Dominic wanted my blood to become human. So that he could escape his vampire bitch of a wife and be with my mother, his mistress. Still not of it made sense, if I were him I wouldn't want to give up my Kingdom and riches. He was a vampire after all. Was he even capable of love?

_This is all screwed up…_I thought with an inner eye roll.

"Dominic, what is going on?" Annabelle questioned irritably, placing her hands on her hips.

Dominic finally tore his dark eyes from me and wiped the shock from his face, turning to his wife and taking her by the arms as he smiled softly at her. Charlotte's grip on my arm tightened painfully at the sight.

"I'm sorry, my Belle. This was so unexpected," Dominic said softly motioning to me. "I have been waiting a long time to find this girl and now that Charlotte has I need to deal with this matter. _Tonight_. We will have to post pone our dinner."

Annabelle's fangs unsheathed with an aggravated growl, hissing at her husband. "Dominic, I haven't seen you in nearly two centuries. You promised that we would have our night. Why is she so important anyway?" she questioned stamping her foot like a stubborn child.

"You know I cannot discuss vampire monarchy business with you," Dominic replied sternly. "I promise we will have our night tomorrow, Annabelle. But tonight there is business I must attend too."

Annabelle huffed and turned glaring eyes on Charlotte and I. "_Fine_," she pouted retracting her fangs. "Then I will be going out. I am starving anyway."

"Have fun," Dominic said watching his wife stalk toward the large doors. She passed her husband a glare over her shoulder before heading out into the night, her guards quickly followed.

Once the doors were closed behind the vampire queen, Charlotte released me and took angry steps toward Dominic. I could feel her power surge with her anger as she regarded the vampire King. "I thought she was off finding herself in Rome?" she snapped angrily through clenched teeth.

Dominic's face softened and he reached out to touch my mother's cheek tenderly. "I'm sorry my darling," Dominic said softly. "She returned early for unknown reasons, but it doesn't matter."

"You could have told me!" Charlotte continued, crossing her arms. "And it is important. She is supposed to be out of the way."

"I was a little preoccupied with dealing with Annabelle, but calm yourself. Soon she will not be a problem anymore," he said with a mischievous smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I will deal with her tonight when she returns."

I felt Charlotte's power dwindle and she smiled as she leaned into Dominic's embrace resting her head on his shoulder. "I cannot wait, Dominic. We have waited so long for this…and I can't believe it's finally going to happen."

My stomach churned with disgust as I watched the scene. So they were getting rid of Annabelle and then Dominic was going to drain me to become human. _I'm gonna die tonight_…

Dominic's attention turned to me and I flinched as my eyes locked with his. I tensed further as he released Charlotte and stepped towards me, staring at me as if I was something he had never seen before. And judging from the reasons that Charlotte had conceived me, he never had. He had been waiting for me for a long time and now he had finally had me.

"You are really beautiful," Dominic whispered. His fingers touched a tendril of my dark hair and my teeth clenched, the energy in me churning violently, and my fists clenched behind my back.

"Don't even think about it, missy," Charlotte said surprising me as she stepped closer. A scowl on her face. "She's a powerful little thing Dominic. Drain her now. Let's just get this over with before she tries anything."

"No need to be rude, Charlotte," Dominic said still not taking his eyes off of me. His staring was creeping me out. "She is my guest."

"Dominic-," Charlotte started looking at him with a frown.

"Take her upstairs so she can get cleaned up, find something of Annabelle's to put on her," Dominic cut in finally moving away from me. "Then meet me in the dining room."

Charlotte's face turned instantly to disproval. "Dominic-," she began again seeming confused and frustrated.

"There is no rush to kill her, Charlotte," Dominic cut in again. "She at least deserves a final meal don't you think? Plus the night is young…why feed from her now when the sun is still hours and hours away?"

"And what if Annabelle returns early?" Charlotte reasoned.

"Then we will deal with her early."

Charlotte didn't seem to agree with him, but also didn't look like she wanted to contest him. She forced a smile on her face and took me by the arm. "Of course, Dominic."

He nodded approvingly and turned heading for the room that Annabelle had made her entrance from. The smile left Charlotte's face as he disappeared into the room and she turned for the stairs dragging me along. We reached the upper floor and walked down the long hallway with blood red walls with paintings hanging along them. Charlotte stopped at the end of the hall where a door sat and pushed it open without a second thought, leading me into a large master bedroom. The bedroom was just as elegant as the rest of the house and as large as the floor plan of my house. Charlotte forced me into a sitting position on a chaise that sat at the end of the large four poster bed in the middle of the room and stalked toward a large door that led into a walk in closet.

I took a hold of opportunity of Charlotte being distracted and started rubbing my wrists together again, trying to loosen the ropes. I still wasn't sure how I was going to escape, but I had to get out of there before Dominic made me dinner. I had to get back to Eric, I needed to know that he was alive and okay. A part of me wondered why Connor hadn't come. He said he could sense me as well as sense when Charlotte found me, so why hadn't he come to my rescue? He should have sensed the car crash and come then. Maybe he was too scared? Or maybe he was mad that I hadn't listened to him about staying with him where he was safe? Either way I was regretting the decision now. Connor had been right. If I had listened to him I would be safe and Eric would be alive-.

_Stop it, Chase_, I told myself as I felt my eyes water at the thought of Eric being gone. _That stubborn vampire has probably survived far worse. He is alive….he has to be...he's Eric._

"This will do," Charlotte deadpanned coming out of the closet with a short red dress. It looked made of silk with a low back and short v-neck front, and strapped shoulders.

I frowned, and stopped rubbing my wrists together before she noticed. "If you guys are going to kill me, just do it now and get it over with," I snapped. "Don't toy with me."

Charlotte's face fell slightly before she tossed the dress onto my lap and her frown returned. "Trust me sweetie, I would love nothing more, but Dominic gets what Dominic wants. I want this to be over as much as you," she seethed with clenched teeth.

I looked up at her with disgust. "Are you really going to allow him to murder your child? What kind of person or _thing_ are you? I'm your _daughter_, we share the same blood!" I tried to reason angrily. "What did I ever do to you to deserve this?" The energy in me surged as I shouted the last words, it rolled in me violently desperate to come out. I was still waiting for myself to explode like I had at Godric's when Eric made me mad. I was surprised that I hadn't already.

Charlotte faltered as she heard me and felt my power no doubt. She took me by complete surprise when her face softened and she took a step toward me. In that moment she almost looked like the woman that I had seen in Connor's head, the soft and gentle and caring woman that he had fallen in love with. The woman he was supposed to spend his life with and help raise me. But I knew better. She was really a monster and there was probably nothing I could do to change her mind and save myself.

"Chase, you are giving me a gift that I have longed for, for many, many years," she said softly before kneeling down in front of me. "I have loved Dominic for centuries, but have never been able to call him my own. The only way he and I can truly be together is if he is human. He can give up his stupid position as King. We can be rid of the vampire world. We can age. We can have children. We can _die_ together….I am sorry that you have to die for this, but despite my coldness you have no idea how grateful I am."

Her words did nothing to make me sympathetic towards her. There was something about the part where I had to die that made me unsympathetic to the fact that all her dreams were about to come true. No matter how sincere she sounded now, she was still a cold hearted evil bitch in my eyes. And I wasn't ready to die so that she can be happy.

"What about me? What about my life? What about my family? What about the people I care about? My friends? My parents? My brother? What about the vampire I love?" I shouted before I could stop myself. It surprised me to be able to finally voice my love for Eric aloud for the first time. "I don't deserve to die for your selfishness."

Charlotte's face fell once again and she rose back to her feet with an angered huff. She stalked toward me and reached behind me, undoing my ropes. I glared up at her as I rubbed my aching wrists. "The bathroom is right there. Clean yourself up and join us down stairs," she growled before walking back toward the bedroom door. She stopped and turned her head to look at me over her shoulder. "And don't think of trying to escape. There are vampire guards surrounding the house. You won't get far."

She left the room without a backward glance, slamming the door shut behind her. I sat there for a long moment breathing heavily and trying to come to terms with everything happening to me as I looked around the huge room. I jumped to my feet and ran straight for heavy dark drapes that hung from the wall, probably covering a window. I was going to get out of this house and I didn't care who was going to try and stop me nor did I care about Charlotte's warnings.

I felt my heart sink as I tugged the drapes open and found a solid red wall behind them and no window.

"No," I breathed in disbelief, reaching out to touch the wall as if it wasn't real.

_Right Chase, this is a vampire house! They don't need windows!_

I growled in frustration and turned around trying to think of another escape route. Going straight out the bedroom door was not an option and since there was no windows that meant I was trapped for the moment. At least until I went downstairs and could possibly go out the front door. I sighed in defeat and snatched the red silk dress off the chaise, deciding to play along until I could figure something out and stalked toward the door which the bathroom lay behind. I turned on the bright over head lights and headed for the sink, setting the dress down on the marble counter tops.

I looked up at my reflection and found myself staring at a bruised and slightly bleeding version of me. There was a large cut on my forehead and a small one on my lip, not to mention my cheek was a turning a nice dark shade of purple. Trails of dried blood ran down the side of my face from the cut on my forehead. Charlotte had been right. I was a mess. I turned on the water and grabbed a fancy soft hand towel from the rack, wetting it with warm water and a little hand soap, before using it to clean my face, arms and legs. Once I got all the blood and dirt off my skin I slipped off the dress I was wearing and tossed it in the trash. I pulled on the one that belonged to Annabelle and couldn't help but admit that the silk felt good against my skin. It was a little too snug, but fit pretty well aside from that. I bent my head to the faucet and wet my hair to rinse any lingering blood or dirt from it, and then combed through it with my fingers.

Once I was as clean as I could get I gazed at my reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath trying to prepare myself to go downstairs and probably die. I left the bathroom slowly, taking my time to move toward the door and pull it open with shaky hands. My heart pounded in my chest and the energy continued to swirl violently within me. I didn't know what to expect when I got downstairs, except the possibility of my death. I wasn't ready to face any of that. I wish I could teleport like Charlotte or Connor. I wished that I could just go back to Bon Temps, or go and make sure that Eric was alright. I wished none of this had ever happened. All this raged through my mind as I headed down the long hallway and reached the winding stair case. I took the steps slowly and reached the main floor, the foyer was empty except for two guards that stood at the front doors.

"The King is in the dining room," one of them said pointing to a set of closed double doors.

I hesitated, my body urging me to just make a run for the doors, to try and get past the guards, but I ignored it. "Thank you," I mumbled.

I lifted my chin and took a deep breath before moving toward the doors to the dining room. I hesitated as I reached for the handles but gripped them firmly and slid the doors open, stopping dead in my tracks at what I saw before me.

Dominic and Charlotte stood near a long dining room table, firmly embraced, his face buried in her neck. For a moment I thought I had walked in on a passionate yet, disgusting moment between lovers when Charlotte went limp in his arms and Dominic withdrew from her, his fangs and lips red with her blood. He released his hold on her and she dropped to the floor with a sickening thud, pale and dead. White light burst around her before consuming her body with a bright flash, making me jump. When the light dissipated there was nothing left of her but a pile of ash.

I felt my face fall in shock looking at Dominic as he turned to me looking slightly surprised to find me standing there. A pleasant smile spread across his face as he stepped over the ash that had moments ago been my mother, careful not to get any on his fancy shoes.

"Chase, you look marvelous," he said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a white cloth to wipe Charlotte's blood from his lips. "Red suits you quite well."

I couldn't speak. I was frozen in shock, my mouth agape as I looked from the pile of Ash to Dominic.

_What the hell was going on?_

* * *

**Sooo what did you think?**_  
_


	20. Long Live The King

**A/N: Greetings! Here is another update-finally! - It's kind of short, but the next one will be long…I hope. Either way it's an update lol let me know what you think. I'm not too happy with this chapter, but either way it's here.**

* * *

"You…you killed her…"

The words came out of my mouth in a breathless whisper as I stared wide eyed at the pile of ash that had been my biological mother. The minute her body had crumpled to dust the energy within me had died down in shock and I was left standing there with my mouth hanging open. I didn't understand. I was confused. If Dominic loved her as much as she and he claimed then why had he killed her?

What the hell was going on?

None of it made sense.

And I suddenly realized that things were only going to get worse for me. I was alone now in unfamiliar territory, god knows where. And right now for all I knew Dominic still wanted me dead too. I forced myself to recover and tried to call upon the energy as a sense of panic washed over me again. It began to swirl in me again, making my skin crackle as I took a step backward, trying to escape the dining room without bring too much attention to the fact that I was attempting to escape.

"Chase, you look pale," Dominic said, sounding concerned as he stepped toward me. I flinched as he tried to touch me and took another step backward, making him frown.

"You killed her," I repeated looking at Dominic incredulously. "You killed Charlotte."

"Chase, darling-."

"I'm not your darling!" I snapped, making him blink in surprise before a smirk spread across his face.

"My, you are feisty," Dominic said licking his lips. "I like that."

I frowned. "So what? You gonna kill me now too?" I questioned angrily taking another step back.

"Chase, calm yourself," Dominic replied raising his hands as if I had pulled a gun on him. "Your mother was just a means to an end. It was time to get rid of her."

I huffed at how uncaring and insensitive he sounded talking about the woman that he supposedly loved so much. I still couldn't believe this was happening. I was waiting to wake up in my bed, this whole trip to Dallas a distant nightmare in the back of my mind.

"Please, come to my study…we can talk," he said in a soft calming voice, taking another step toward me. "I am not going to hurt you, Chase."

I didn't believe him. Not an ounce of me did. He had probably told Charlotte the same thing and look where she ended up. I instead started my escape again, backing up towards the front doors. Two guards were still standing there protecting it. My mind immediately went to the energy that was still swarming within me, ready to be released. _Dammit magic, now would be a great time for you to come out and save my ass!_ I thought with a frown.

"Chase, there really is no reason to be frightened," Dominic continued, his facial expression so sincere. "I would never dream of hurting you. You have no idea how long I waited for you."

"What do you want me for?" I questioned finally stopping in the foyer, near the front of door, where two guards still stood. "Why am I so important?"

Dominic ignored my question and instead looked to the two guards. "Gentleman, I made a mess of my dinner in the dining room would the two of you be so kind as to clean it up?" he asked politely.

I watched as the guards gave a single nod and moved toward the dining room, to go clean my mother off the floor. The dining room doors were shut behind them leaving me alone with the king and my exit finally free. If I could knock Dominic out for just a few seconds and get out of the house I could possibly make it to the gate before he recovered. I just needed to release a strong amount of energy.

"Tell me what you want me for …" I demanded clenching my fists.

Dominic gave a heavy sigh as if my question was tedious and annoying, and one that I should already know the answer too. "The reason you are so important, Chase….Is because of how powerful you are."

"What does that have to do with you?" I questioned raising an eyebrow. "If you kill me you don't get my power."

Dominic chuckled, shaking his head as he crossed his arms. "As I stated before I have no interest in killing you, Chase. You are far more valuable to me alive. What I want is for you to be mine."

I felt my face fall. "What?"

"With you anything is possible," Dominic continued, becoming more enthusiastic as he came towards me. "You can do _anything_. Having that by my side I can do whatever I wish. You could even give me my humanity, temporarily or permanently if the rumors are true….think of the possibilities of the things you and I can accomplish. I could be the king of the vampire nation…with you at my side. Powerful and unstoppable… I want you to be my Queen."

I huffed as my jaw dropped again. So that's what he really wanted me for. Not so that he could be human and spend the rest of his human life with Charlotte, but so that he could use me as some power toy to get what he wanted. I didn't want that. I wasn't anyone's pet. And I wasn't going to be used just for what I was.

"You have a queen," I replied taking another step backward. "And besides. I already belong to someone else."

_He may be dead right now and if he is alive he is human but god help me, Eric Northman owns my heart and every other inch of me as well. Whether he is human or vampire._

Dominic's eyebrows rose in interest, as if I had presented him with some challenge. "A vampire?"

I nodded solemnly, swallowing a lump that had formed in my throat. "Yes and he is a thousand years old and would not be very happy with you kidnapping me," I said thickly, lifting my chin. I was stalling at this point. "It's against vampire _and_ human laws."

Dominic's smirk widened and he chuckled softly, shaking his head as if I had told him a funny joke. "You are bonded to a vampire baby?" he asked between chuckles.

I frowned. "Eric is 1,000 years old. Far from a vampire baby," I answered defensively.

Dominic continued to laugh, which didn't help the sick feeling I had in my stomach. "I am over 3,000 years old, sweetheart. And as king I have a right to claim anyone I choose whether she or he is bonded to another vampire or not. I have gone through a lot to get you here, Chase. And you _will_ be mine. Whether you like it or not."

His smile faded as a serious expression slid over his face, I blinked and suddenly he was standing in front of me. My mouth opened to scream, but I didn't get the chance to let it out as his hand wrapped around my throat cutting it off. My back slammed into the very door that was my only exit. I panicked immediately as I gasped for air and was flooded with a wave of images and thoughts from Dominic's mind.

He planned to glamour me and if that didn't work he planned to force feed me his blood and keep me locked up in a room upstairs until I changed my mind. He hadn't been lying when he had said that he had worked too hard and waited too long for me. This was a plan that he had, had in the makings since he was a thousand years old. And there had been others before Charlotte, others like her, other _Fae. **Whatever the hell that was!**_ But none of them had been successful in finding a _special_ man to conceive with. Only Charlotte had. And I was the result of that. He didn't plan on letting me go. He was going to keep me until I changed my mind. Until I became his. Until I was his queen and did as I was told. No matter what the consequence may be.

I on the other hand, had other plans.

"Get off of me!" I shouted coming out of his mind.

I felt another power surge and that was when it broke free of whatever was holding it back. It filled me with an overwhelming and intoxicating gush before bursting out of me just as quickly as it had come. It concentrated all on Dominic sending him flying away from me, soaring through the air until he crashed through the wooden double doors that lead into the dining room, and right into his two guards that had been cleaning up his 'dinner mess'.

I crumpled to the floor feeling spent and weak, as my vision blurred and my head began to ache. I had never felt that much power in me before, it almost felt like as much as I had released at Eric when we were at Godric's home, but this time it had been much more. I assumed the bind that Connor put on my powers were to explain for my weakness and head ache and reminded myself to ask him to take the stupid thing off later. For the moment I had to get the hell out of there while Dominic and his two nearest guards were down.

I forced myself to my feet, gripping the door knob to help me stand. I shook my head, trying to ease the dizziness, as I kicked off my high heels, knowing they wouldn't help me run. I pulled the door open as my head finally began to clear and the weakness began to dissipate. I took off running, stumbling slightly at first, but going as fast as my weakened body could. I headed straight for the long road that lead to the gate. I slowly began to regain my strength and finally picked up more speed, bolting across the circular driveway and down the paved road. For a moment I thought I was scott free, there wasn't a guard in sight and I was fast approaching the gate. I had no idea how I was going to get through the gate or what would happen once I was got outside of it, but that didn't matter to me right now. I just wanted to get off Dominic's stupid land and as far away from his mansion as I could.

And then I heard something.

Something loud and rough and dangerous sounding. Was that growling?

_Shit._

I risked a glance over my shoulder and saw a grey...wolf chasing after me. At least that's what it looked like, but I definitely wasn't stopping to double check my first assumption. I urged my body to go faster, resisting the urge to scream at the top of my lungs. My breath was coming out in heavy pants and my limbs were on fire. It was getting harder and harder to breathe and I wished in that moment I exercised more. But I knew that if I stopped I would-

Something collided with my back, knocking me off my feet and sending me face first into the pavement. I hit the ground hard sparking pain through my whole body and face. I let out a pain filled whimper as tears stung my eyes. More pain came next as I felt a set of teeth sink into the flesh of my shoulder making me scream out in pain as the wolf flipped me onto my back. Blue animal eyes gazed into my own as the wolf looked down at me, long sharp teeth bared. Now that I was up close I was definitely sure it was a wolf. My breath stopped in my chest as the wolf's nose came closer, sniffing the air around me as it let out another growl.

I frowned up at it, unsure of what to do, and pretty sure I was gonna die.

"James, enough, I said not to hurt her," came Dominic's voice.

He came into view standing behind James, the wolf, looking down at me in disapproval. "Go back to the house, James. I can handle things from here."

The wolf let out a grunt before turning around and trotting back down the long road. I had to give it to the animal. It was pretty obedient. His owner on the other hand was a dick. He put an expensive looking shoe on my chest, making me let out a pain filled yelp as he pressed down.

"That wasn't very nice, Chase," he said in a mock offended voice, the expression on his face angry. "I would expect you to be nicer to your host and future husband."

I could have laughed if I wasn't in so much pain from my fall and his heavy foot. I could taste my own blood in my mouth. Dominic was apparently just as delusional as Charlotte had been. I would rather die than be his power toy or his queen.

"You are just going to have to kill me," I coughed looking up at him. "Because you _can't_ have me."

"I wasn't asking your permission," he replied through clenched.

He bent forward and yanked me to my feet by my throat. "I am going to have to teach you a little obedience," he said determinedly. "But first…how bout a little taste..."

His other hand went to my hair, tangling itself in my dark locks before he was pulling my head back. I didn't get the chance to protest as his head swooped forward and I felt his fangs sink into my flesh. Pain sparked in my neck, worse than any of Eric's bites and I couldn't stop the scream that came out of my mouth. Dominic withdrew seconds later, my blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth, his face filled with delight.

"You taste better than you smell," he said licking his lips, his eyes filled with want.

He let out a soft growl before his head was back in the crook of my neck his fangs piercing my skin again. I didn't bother to scream this time as I felt him drinking me in greedily, his arms around me tightly. My head began to swim from the blood loss, and my knees were trembling with the effort to keep me standing. I didn't know if he was going to stop, if he had lost himself in the taste of my blood and was going to kill me without even realizing.

White light burst in the air behind Dominic catching my attention for a moment before suddenly Dominic withdrew with me with a cry. I lost my balance as he let me go and I hit the ground again looking up just in time to see Dominic explode. I shut my eyes quickly and turned my head as I felt blood and gore splash on me. I resisted the urge to gag and empty the contents of my stomach which wouldn't have been anything as I opened my eyes and found myself covered in Dominic.

"Chase, are you alright?"

I looked up at the sound of a voice I recognized and found myself staring into Eric's blue eyes. He was kneeling before me, with Connor standing behind him holding a bloody wooden stake. Eric looked as completely healed, still human, but there wasn't a scratch on him and he was wearing different clothes. I blinked my eyes, unsure if this was real, wondering if I had passed out from the blood loss and was going to wake up trapped in Dominic's mansion.

"Jesus, what the hell did he do to you?" Connor said tossing the stake aside and kneeling down as well.

I opened my mouth and forced myself to speak. "Eric?" I breathed unable to take my eyes off of him. I still couldn't believe he was right in front of me and alive. My brain was still a little fuzzy and I still felt weak. I hadn't decided if this was really happening or not.

"We need to get her out of here," Eric said looking at Connor.

"Is your progeny done in the house?" Connor questioned, one dark eyebrow arching.

"Pam is efficient and quick," Eric replied sounding proud. "Besides we didn't leave her a lot to deal with."

I stared at them both confused, feeling close to passing out and wondering just what the hell they were talking about. Pam was here? I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Eric and Connor were here.

A gush of wind picked up around us as I turned to see Pam standing over us all. She was wearing an all black, but also stylish jogging suit, and looking bored as usual with her hands on her hips. She looked down at me and her eye brows rose. "Good. You found her. And she's a mess," she dead panned. "Can we go now?"

"Is everything inside taken care of?" Eric asked looking over his shoulder at her.

"There isn't a vampire, wolf, or human to tell the tale of what happened here besides us nor is there a security system. Seems the late king liked his privacy," Pam answered with an eye roll.

"What the hell is going on?" I snapped making them all bring their attention to me again. I sat up on my elbows making my dizziness worse. I blinked past it. "How are you even alive Eric? And Pam how the hell did you get here? Connor what is going on?"

"We can explain at home, let's get the hell out of here. Eric, pick her up," Connor said motioning to me.

Eric did as he was told, which was very unlike him, lifting me into his arms and cradling me against his chest. I thought about protesting and demanding an answer, but he felt so good and comforting against me. I was so happy that he was alive and well and _here._ I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his neck breathing in the smell of him.

Connor stepped closer to us and place his hand on Eric's shoulder as well as Pam's. I shut my eyes as white light burst around us.

* * *

**Sooo what did you think?**


	21. Admittance

**A/N: Sorry for the long over due chapter, but here it is! Let me know what you think!**

* * *

When the white light finally faded and my stomach settled from the internal jerk of Connor's teleporting, I found that we were standing in the middle of Fangtasia; The last place that I expected to be. I looked around in surprise as Eric moved quickly and placed me carefully on one of the red couches that decorated his bar.

"Chase, are you alright?" he asked as he knelt beside me.

I still felt as if I were in shock. I was trying to wrap my head around the fact that Eric was _alive_ and so was I, and now were in Fangtasia, with Pam. What the hell had happened? Eric ignored my silence, and took my face in his hands turning my head carefully to expose the vampire and wolf bites on my neck and shoulder. He frowned before setting my head down gently and then moved on inspecting the rest of my body. I looked down at him in confusion, but still said nothing. He finished his inspection and sighed angrily, turning to Connor and Pam who were standing over him.

"Dominic's blood healed some of her wounds of course since she is covered in him, but the bites are still there and she has lost a lot of blood," he diagnosed, talking to Connor and Pam as if I were not sitting right there. "Pam."

My eyebrows rose as Pam came forward, pulling up the sleeve of her jogging suit coat, to reveal her wrists as her fangs unsheathed with a click. I realized her and Eric's intentions and came out of my shock instantly and sat up quickly making white hot pain shoot through my skull. I groaned, but over came the pain.

"No!" I shouted making Pam halt as her wrist touched her lips. Eric looked at me disapprovingly as Connor stared down at me in surprise. "No offense Pam, but it's bad enough that I have Eric's blood running through me and Dominic all over me," I grumbled looking down at my blood and gore covered torso, waist, and legs. "I don't want your blood too."

Pam's pretty face turned downward to scowl, and her wrist dropped down to her side. "Fine."

"I'm not a fan of you drinking vampire blood either, but apparently it saves lives and Chase you seem to have lost a lot of blood," Connor chimed in, sounding very father like as he stepped closer.

"Chase, you know you won't heal unless Pam gives you her blood," Eric added.

"I know that and I said I don't want it. I don't need to have any crazy sex dreams about Pam," I frowned glancing at her. Too my disgust a sick smile spread across her face as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I wouldn't mind," she smirked.

I resisted the urge to gag, and almost failed. "You're very pretty Pam, but I don't swing that way," I offered looking back at Eric. "I will be fine. All I need is some pain killers, a first aid kid, and a shower."

"There are no showers in Fangtasia," Eric responded irritably.

"Well there are sinks aren't they? And I know you must have some clean towels hanging around for clean up right? And a first aid kit for your human employees? That's all I need. No more vampire blood," I said shaking my head again as I attempted to stand to show just how fine I was.

I finally got to my feet after a very slow rise and Eric rose with me looking concerned. My head spun for a moment and my knees wobbled violently, threatening to give out on me. Eric's hands went to my hips to catch me as I slumped forward against his broad chest. He frowned down at me as I looked up at him and tried to push him away, determined to get to my own feet. He held me firmly, even though he was human, he was still stronger than I was.

"You can barely stand, Chase. Stop being so damn stubborn and accept Pam's blood," Eric demanded with a stern glare.

I took a deep breath and pushed his hands away, summoning my strength and forcing my body to hold its own. I wobbled for a moment, but remained standing on my own. I was still a little dizzy and light headed as well, but I was going to be fine. I was _determined_ to be fine.

"I am _fine_, Eric," I replied through clenched teeth. "I appreciate the concern, but I don't want Pam's blood."

Eric let out a soft grunt of frustration and turned to Pam. "Pam, find her something to wear please and get the first aid kid," he ordered stepping away from me and heading behind the bar. He retrieved a small stack of clean white towels from underneath it and walked back to me, handing them over. "You do know where the bathroom is don't you?"

I nodded.

"Can you make it there?" he continued, his frown deepening.

I scowled up at him, but said nothing as I turned on my heel, very slowly to keep from getting even dizzier, and headed for the ladies room. I locked the door behind me and grabbed the sink as my knees threatened to give out again. I was weak, but at least I was alive. And I refused to drink Pam's blood. I was going to deal with this the normal human healing way…even if I wasn't entirely human. I took a few deep breaths until I felt okay and then straightened, turning on the hot water at the faucet.

I let the water warm as I caught my reflection in the mirror. I honestly looked like hot hell. My cheek was bruised and I had a cut on my forehead that headed into my hair line and one on my bottom lip. My eyes were red and glossy and there were dark circles around them; and my hair was a tangled mess with blood and dirt in it. Not to mention my skin was noticeably pale. No wonder Eric and Connor insisted I take the blood.

I went to work on cleaning myself up, peeling the dress that Charlotte had given me from my skin as well as my under garments. I used one of the towels to dampen my skin and then half of the soap in the soap dispenser to clean myself. I went through two towels scrubbing the dirt and blood from my body and then another two to dry myself off. I went to work on my hair next, bending and drenching my hair with the faucet water and using the rest of the hand soap to wash it. After my hair was finally clean as the rest of me, I felt slightly better…until I realized that I was naked with nothing to wear.

I took the last clean towel and covered the front of myself the best I could before walking to the door, unlocking it, and opening it enough to peek through. I jumped as I saw Pam's towering figure standing on the other side holding something red in her hands.

"All clean?" she asked, giving me a smirk that made me feel uncomfortable.

"Yes, is that for me?" I asked glancing down at the red cloth in her hands.

"Yes…do you need help putting it on?" she asked me, the smirk spreading.

I frowned and reached out taking the cloth from her hands as quickly as I could, but also trying not to snatch. "No, thank you, Pam."

I shut the door before she could give me some snappy comeback and locked it so she didn't think twice about coming in to "help" me dress. I opened the folded cloth in my hand and found that it was a large Fangtasia t-shirt, one that looked exactly like the one that Sookie had been wearing after she was attacked by the bull human. And folded inside of that was the smallest pair of black cotton shorts I had ever seen. They could only be classified as under wear, because I was sure my butt cheeks would hang out the bottom. I put them and the shirt on anyway, finding that the shirt hung down to my mid thigh and covered the shorts anyway. I moved back to the mirror and checked myself once more, combing my fingers through my damp hair and noticing that some of the color had returned to my face.

I turned for the door after checking myself and stepped out, headed back out into the bar. I was surprised to find Connor sitting alone at the bar, a drink and a first aid kit in front of him, as he stared blankly ahead. Eric and Pam were nowhere in sight. I walked carefully across the bar, making Connor's eyes find me as he heard me coming. He smiled softly as I slid onto the bar stool beside him, careful to keep my legs closed and the shirt tucked under my butt.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"A little…." I answered, looking around the bar even though I was sure Eric and Pam were probably in the back. "Where's Eric and Pam?"

"They excused themselves to go and deal with some vampire business," he said almost sarcastically, jutting his thumb in the direction of Eric's office. "But Eric did get me a first aid kit so I can bandage that wolf bite and-," he stopped as he opened the kit and pulled out a travel size packet of Tylenol. "There are some pain killers."

He placed the packet in my hand and slid the drink toward me. I smirked as I ripped the packet open and looked at the dark liquid contained in the glass. "I don't think you are supposed to drink alcohol with pain killers," I joked as I popped the pills in my mouth.

"It's coke," Connor explained with a smile, pulling some gauze, tape, and rubbing alcohol from the kit.

I swallowed down the whole glass of coke and the pills before setting the glass down and swallowing hard at the sight of the rubbing alcohol. "Is this gonna hurt?" I asked meekly, pretty sure I already knew the answer.

"The alcohol will, but it will also keep you from getting an infection since you insist upon refusing the vampire blood," he said passing me a very father like disapproving look. "I'm not going to clean the vampire marks, but I will clean the wolf bite. You are more likely to get an infection from that."

"After the night I have had, the last thing I want is vampire blood," I sighed. "And I am sure that once Eric changes back he is going to _insist_ that I drink his blood to heal properly."

Connor frowned slightly at my statement as he poured some alcohol on the gauze. "He seems like he really cares about you…" he said softly as he scooted his stool closer to mine.

I hesitated at his statement, wondering what he was getting at. It seemed so hard for him to trust vampires, even though two had just helped him save his daughters life. I couldn't really blame him, a vampire had been the reason that he had lost the women he loved, and the reason that his daughters life had been in danger in the first place. I was sure that it bothered him that I was in involved with a vampire, but I couldn't help the way I felt about Eric.

"I think he genuinely cares about me…" I answered finally as Connor pulled up the sleeve of my shirt to reveal the wolf's bite.

"Brace yourself," Connor said quickly.

Before I could even respond, he placed the gauze over the wolf's bite, allowing the rubbing alcohol to seep into the wound. It instantly burned, sending stinging pain shooting through my shoulder and up into my neck. I recoiled away from Connor and the gauze, my teeth clenching as I grabbed the bite, covering it with my hand in hopes to ease the burn. It didn't do much.

"Fucking shit that hurts!" I gasped.

"I warned you," Connor replied, attempting to hold back a smirk. I could still see it. "Don't touch it," he continued pulling my hand away and opening what looked like a small bottle of Neosporin. He leaned forward to apply the ointment to the bite, where the pain was slowly dwindling. "Do you love him?"

I hesitated as usual when it came to this question. I knew how I felt about Eric deep down, I had admitted it to Charlotte earlier when I had believed him to be dead, but for some reason in that moment admitting it out loud to Connor seemed like the hardest thing in the world. Yes, I loved Eric. I had finally admitted that to _myself_, but I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about admitting it out loud again.

"I….care for him…a lot," I answered slowly as Connor applied dry gauze and tape to hold it in place to the bite.

Connor sighed and began repacking the first aid supplies as I fixed my sleeve. "You are a lot more like your mother than I thought," Connor said softly as his eyes dropped.

Those words felt like a stab to my heart for some reason. I didn't truly know how to take it. My biological mother had turned out to be a psychotic woman who would do just about anything for the vampire she loved. Yes I cared for Eric, and I loved him, but I would never do what Charlotte had done for Dominic, least of all give up my child. I chose to brush off the harshness of his statement and leaned forward, touching his arm gently instead.

"Charlotte made many, many mistakes," I said looking him in the eye. "And yes I am her daughter and I do care for a vampire…but I am also your daughter as well as my own person. I _won't_ make the same mistakes that she made."

It looked as if Connor didn't know what to say, his head dropped and one of his hands covered mine on his arm. "I hope you are right, Chase," he said so softly I almost didn't hear it.

I didn't get the chance to reply as the door that lead to the back rooms of Fangtasia opened and Eric and Pam emerged. I withdrew my hand from Eric as he came around the bar and approached me.

"Feeling better?" he asked surveying me with oceanic blue eyes and an arched blonde eyebrow.

I nodded. "I'm clean, bandaged, and medicated."

"Good, although I am sure that you would feel much better with Pam's blood," Eric retorted.

I frowned up at him.

"So now what?" Connor asked changing the subject. "Do we have to expect vampire retaliation?"

"There is nothing to link Chase or us to Dominic's mansion, so for now we shouldn't expect any vampire retaliation, but I still think Chase should stay here with me tonight just to be sure," Eric answered crossing his arms.

"But there will be vampire retaliation," I chimed in, shaking my head. "If not from a vampire authority then from Dominic's bitch of a wife. She was there before you guys got there. She saw me. She is going to know that I probably had something to do with it and she may come after me."

"I think we should be more concerned about Charlotte who we were unable to find," Connor said with a frown.

"She's dead," I said quickly without thinking, making both Eric and Connor look at me in surprise.

"Well…that problem is solved then," Pam butted in sounding bored. "Eric if you no longer have any need for me I would like to go and find my dinner. Killing vampires has left me with quite the appetite."

"You are dismissed Pam," Eric said absently with a wave as he stared me down curiously. Pam disappeared in vampire speed and I was left under Eric and Connor's intense glares. Eric continued. "What do you mean she is dead? I saw no body."

"That's because she turned to dust," I answered. "Dominic drained her dry. He said she was just a means to an end. He just wanted me all to himself."

The coloring in Connor's face drained completely and he looked as if he was going to be sick. "He….killed her?" his voice was soft, but I could hear the shock and hurt in it.

I nodded sadly. I didn't really feel sad for the loss of her personally. After all she had tried to kill me multiple times. But Connor had loved her, and despite everything probably still did, she was the mother of his child after all. I had seen all the love he had for her in his head. I could only imagine how he felt knowing that she was gone now. I wanted to hug him and try to comfort him as his grey eyes dropped, but Eric spoke.

"Then you are safe from her for good," he said sounding completely insensitive at the moment making me frown at him. "But you should still stay here for the night."

I raised an eyebrow. "Stay here? And sleep on the leather bar couches? No thanks. I'll go home. Besides Sookie said that Bon Temps has gone crazy and I need to check on my parents and my brother."

"You can deal with Bon Temps craziness in the morning," Eric ordered sounding like his old bossy vampire self again. "It's highly unlikely that Annabelle will come after you tonight...if at all…but I would feel more comfortable if you stay here. I would also hate for you to get attacked by a crazy Bon Temps resident while I am unable to fully protect you in my weakened state."

I sighed. "Fine I will stay here, but in the morning I am going to find Sookie and my family."

Eric nodded. "And you will have my permission."

I rolled my eyes and then settled them on the Connor who still lost somewhere in his own thoughts as he held a staring contest with the floor. I sighed softly wondering what to say when Eric spoke for me.

"Connor, will you be returning to Dallas?" he asked curiously.

Connor looked up finally, looking first to Eric and then to me and back. "Eventually, but until I know that this vampire business is wrapped up and Chase is safe for sure then I am not going anywhere. I have already, almost lost her too many times in the past hours. I'll accompany Chase to Bon Temps tomorrow….if that's alright with you?"

I wanted Connor to be a part of my life. We had already missed so much and he was my father and had done a lot for me even if I was never aware, so of course I wanted to get to know him, without having to worry about someone trying to kill us. I imagined it might be awkward for both him and my adopted parents to meet, but they were all very important to me and I wanted them too.

"That would be great," I replied finally. "Besides I might need your help."

"You are more than welcome to take the couch in my office. I am sorry to say I have no blankets, but it's the second most comfortable resting place in the building," Eric offered graciously.

Connor nodded. "It will do just fine."

"And where will I be sleeping?" I asked Eric.

A smirk slid across his face that made me uncomfortable suddenly. "You will be sleeping in my cubby," he answered.

I frowned. "Your what?"

"Follow me," he said.

I hesitated looking to Connor. "You are going to be okay?"

"Yeah I am fine. Go get some rest. You have had a rough night," Connor insisted with a wave. "I can find my way to the couch."

I gave him a weak attempt at a smile and slid off the barstool as gracefully as one could without having any pants on. I followed Eric to his back office, holding down the hem of my shirt as I shuffled behind him. We stopped in his office and Eric moved forward to what looked like doors to a storage cabinet that sat against the right wall. He opened the doors slowly and instead of shelves or any other cabinet like insides, there was concrete walls and what looked like a metal ladder. I looked at Eric hesitantly. I didn't want to sleep in a dark dungeon.

"There is light," Eric said quickly, flicking a switch inside the cabinet.

Light flooded the dark space below and I looked down inside trying to get a better look. "Oh…." Was all I could think to say as I stared down the ladder.

"Shall we?" Eric asked motioning towards the ladder.

I hesitated.

"Would you like me to go first?" Eric asked.

I thought about my lack of pants and shook my head, climbing inside as modestly as I could and descending the ladder. I reached the bottom and I looked around in slight surprise. It looked just like an underground room with cement walls that had square built in lights to illuminate the room. There was a large bed, large enough for Eric, with black sheets and a small night stand sitting beside it with a stack of books resting on it. Aside from that the room was empty. I looked at Eric with a raised eyebrow making him frown down at me.

"What?" he asked almost sounding irritable.

"You stay here…all the time?" I asked him incredulously.

Eric huffed. "No, Chase. This is a cubby where I reside when I stay too long at Fangtasia and can't return to my home in time before the dawn."

"Oh…." I said nodding as I looked around again. "It's…nice."

"Would you prefer the couch in my office?" Eric asked with a bite to his tone as if I were offending his space. "Perhaps Connor would like my cubby more than you?"

"No. No. No. It's fine," I said walking to the bed and sitting down on it. It was surprisingly soft beneath my bottom and I had the sudden urge to lay back. "It's great Eric. Thank you for letting me stay down here."

Eric's face softened a bit and he walked towards me, sitting down beside me on the bed. "You're welcome," he said finally looking into my grey eyes. "After the night you have had I am sure that you could use a good night's rest."

As if on cue I yawned sleepily and nodded. "Yes…I really could. Getting bit by a huge dog, then almost drained of blood, and then covered in the blood of a vampire king can really take all the energy out of you," I replied sarcastically.

Eric's lips quirked as if he wanted to smile, but found the situation to serious. "Chase, you did almost die tonight," he said gravelly. "If Connor, Pam and I hadn't arrived when we did then Dominic would have drained you dry."

"Well luckily you did," I said softly touching his arm. My mind flashed to that moment when I was sitting on the chaise before Charlotte, thinking that Eric had been dead. I hadn't been expecting him to come at all. "I thought you were dead, Eric….Charlotte said she had left you in the wreckage."

"I would have been, but Connor had sensed that you were in danger and come to help, but Charlotte had already taken you. He took me to his home and when night fell I had him bring me to Pam to heal. Then we came after you. We teleported into the mansion, but you were already trying to escape," he finished with a smirk.

"It's a good thing you came when you did," I replied, my stomach turning as I remembered Dominic lost in the taste of my blood. He would have killed me if they hadn't showed up. Eric had once again saved my life with the help of my father.

"Well you are safe now," Eric continued reaching up and caressing my cheek. "It is over."

I shook my head. "I just know this isn't over. Dominic's wife-."

Eric shook his head and took my face in both his hands making me stop the beginning of my rant. "I will take care of the vampire affairs, Chase. I will make sure she doesn't find you and that no one knows about your involvement with Dominic or about what your blood can do."

I sighed and tried to believe the words coming out of his mouth. I wanted to finally feel safe knowing that I didn't have anyone after me for once. I wanted to go home and get back to my semi normal life in Bon Temps.

And I wanted Eric.

I was tired of resisting and fighting him. I was in love with him and after finally admitting it out loud to Charlotte I was ready to face it. I was ready to give in. I was ready to tell him how I felt. I was ready to trust him like he had asked me too. Yes, he had lied and he had hurt me and he had tricked Sookie, but deep down it didn't change anything that I had felt inside. It hurt the surface, but it didn't hurt the deep connection and feelings that I had for him. I was willing to move past that, especially after seeing how different he could be in the last 24 hours. I could make it work with him. I could _try_.

I was nervous suddenly at the thought of telling him my feelings. I could feel my stomach churning anxiously and my chest tightened as I looked into Eric's oceanic irises. "Eric," I started as his fingers brushed my cheeks gently.

"Chase," he breathed, his body leaning closer to mine.

I could feel the heat radiating off of him, calling to me, trying to draw me in. I struggled to concentrate as want started to ravage my insides, and a desperate need threatened to take me over. "I have something I want to tell you," I whispered.

His face was only inches from mine now. I could feel his warm breath against my lips. "I am suddenly in no mood to talk, Chase," he said huskily.

"Eric," I started again, this time it came out in a heated moan that was definitely not helping him resist me at the moment. "I really want too-."

His kiss cut me off, leaving me to moan into his mouth as his tongue delved into mine. I could practically taste his want for me in the kiss and his hands left my face as his arms wrapped around me and tugged me to his body. I nearly went limp in his arms as my desires took me over, allowing Eric to roll me easily, pinning me beneath his weight. His hands tugged at the Fangtasia shirt, as my fingers clung desperately to the black material covering him. I was writhing beneath him, wanting us both to be free of the cloth that confined us both.

After a few moments of more writhing and squirming, both of us trying to keep our mouths connected as we shed our clothing, we were finally free from them. Eric's hands tangled in my hair as he entered me with painful slowness, eliciting a heated throaty moan from me. His movements were slower than normal, but still felt as incredible as they did when he was a vampire. His moans filled my ears as my world began to tighten, ready to come undone around him with a few more precise strokes.

"Eric!" I gasped as he withdrew from me suddenly, flipping me over and entering me from behind.

His body was heavy on my back, nearly crushing me into the mattress as our anxious pants mingled in the air and his mouth attacked my neck, teeth scraping as if he wanted to draw blood, but had forgotten he was a vampire. I could feel his heart thudding against my back, his body tensing alerting me to how close he was. I was just as close if not closer, my fingers gripping the dark sheets beneath me as my moans got louder and I balanced on the edge of a precipice. I was closer to heaven than I had ever been in that moment and I didn't want the moment to end. But seconds later it did.

His name was nearly a screech from my lips as I came undone around him, tightening like a vice, as my back arched into him. He came seconds later, a long groan of some Swedish word I didn't recognize bursting from his lips as his fingers dug into my hips. His weight left me as he rolled off of me, panting and sweating as he stared up at the ceiling, looking physically exhausting. His eyes fluttered as he reached for me blindly, pulling me against his body, allowing my head to rest on his chest. I sighed at the feel of him against me, my eyes closing sleepily. His fingers pushed my sweat soaked hair from my forehead as I snuggled even closer, sighing contentedly.

It was the perfect moment; I knew it had to be then. I knew that he must have known he had too. But knowing and hearing aloud were two very different things. But I was determined to tell him anyway.

"Eric," I started slowly. "What I wanted to say earlier was that….I know we have been through a lot…And yes you have lied to me…. and hurt me…. and made me want to rip your head off, but Eric…"

I paused as I waited to hear some kind of indication that he was listening to me, and frowned when I got none. I lifted my head and looked at his face finding that his eyes were closed and his breathing even.

He was sleeping.

I sighed and almost laughed aloud at the sight. Eric Northman falling asleep right after sex like a typical human man. I reached forward and touched his cheek carefully before resting my head back on his chest, almost wishing that he wouldn't turn back to his old vampire self, but knowing that, that moment was coming all too soon.

"I love you," I whispered.


	22. Independence

**A/N: Greetings Faithful readers! Hopefully most of you are still reading. I know I took a long hiatus, but I was recently inspired to write again after catching up on some awesome True Blood Fanfiction (specifically DreamsForTheDead's 'I Wanna Do Bad Things With You', It's an interesting story with an original plot line so you should check it out!) and I have returned with a new chapter. Hopefully you will read and enjoy and possibly review! Without further ado here's the next chapter….**

* * *

**Independence**

I hadn't had a decent night's sleep in so long that I forgot how great it felt to wake up feeling rested. My eyes fluttered open, feeling my lips curving into a smile as I remember the night before and that I was waking up next to Eric. I rolled over, stretching languidly as my eyes searched for Eric. My smile disappeared from my face as I noticed that the place that Eric had been the night before was empty. I frowned as I sat up slowly, clutching the dark sheets to my naked form as I looked around in bewilderment. I was alone in the cubby. I sighed. Where could he have gone? I'm sure that by now the night had gone and it was morning. If he had turned back into a vampire then he should have been resting, right there next to me.

I slid off the bed frowning as I remembered that I had only had a Fangtasia t-shirt and a skimpy pair of shots to wear. I picked them up off the floor, but stopped when I noticed a small duffel bag sitting by the ladder that led out of Eric's cubby. I walked towards it quickly and carried it back to the bed, opening it to find clothes inside. I knew immediately they were for me and I was grateful. I pulled on the undergarments, jeans, and black Fangtasia t-shirt, this one fitting perfectly. I slipped on the sneakers I found at the bottom of the bag and ran my fingers through my long hair until the tangles were cleared.

I felt much more comfortable as I climbed out of the cabinet that led into Eric's office. His office was dreadfully empty and dark, further confusing me. I could hear music from the bar and the low chatter of people behind his office door which made me look to the clock hanging on Eric's wall. It was well into the evening which made me curse under my breath. I had slept through the whole day.

I headed for the main lobby of the bar hesitating when I remembered that I was about to face Eric. I didn't know if he was human still or back to his old vampire ways. And everything that we had been through the past few days including him saving my life and our passionate moments last night when I told him that I loved him. (Even though he hadn't heard me…at least I didn't think so). I swallowed hard and got over it, ready to face him and went stalking out into the bar, looking around for Eric. My face fell when I spotted him, lounging on the neck of one of the black bar couches wearing a devilishly sexy grey on black suit with no tie.

I knew immediately he had returned to his old self.

His skin was pale as ever, not the sun kissed tone it had been yesterday. His eyes seemed so dark in contrast to how bright blue they seemed when he had been human, I could see that the spark of humanity he had, had left them. I didn't need to be close to see that he wasn't breathing or that his heart had gone still forever again. A hole opened in my stomach and I felt a wave of sadness hit me as my steps halted on impact of the emotion. I couldn't lie to myself. A part of me had _hoped_ that he wouldn't turn back. That he would continue to be a sensitive and caring human man, and we could have a normal _healthy _relationship free from vampires and all the other chaos somewhere far from Bon Temps and Shreveport. But he had turned back, like I knew he would despite what the small part of me hoped for. I still felt the same though, I was going to give a relationship with Eric a chance. I loved him and he was what I wanted. I needed to stop running. I needed to just give in already. I was going to tell him how I felt and that I loved him….

Right after I figured out just why in the hell he was sitting with Sam, Arlene's two children, and Pam.

"Sam?" I called in confusion and mild excitement as I continued toward the group.

Sam turned to me in surprise, rising to his feet as I got closer. "Chase?" he said seeming relieved to see me. I opened my arms to hug him and let him engulf me in his embrace. He smelt like sweat and trees. It was a relief to see someone from home after everything that I had been through. "It's so good to see you," he continued giving me a squeeze before releasing me.

"It's good to see you, but what the heck are you doing here with Arlene's kids?" I asked motioning toward the two frightened and dirty children that he had been sitting beside. "Does she know you are here?"

Sam looked uneasy as he opened his mouth to reply, but a smooth sultry voice that sent shivers down my spine, spoke instead. "Sam has come to ask for a favor," Eric piped up, rising to his feet as he came to stand beside me towering over Sam and me. _God, he even sounded like a vampire again. _"Although I am not too sure that I am inclined to grant him one."

Sam scowled at Eric for a moment before looking to me. "There's a maenad in Bon Temps. She's made everyone go…crazy. They are like zombies," Sam finished. "I need to know how to stop her, she's obviously not human and the kids actually gave me the idea that Eric might be able to help since he's not exactly human either."

My mind immediately flashed back to the phone call I received before Eric and I had gotten into the car crash. Sookie had told me the very same thing. And apparently the situation must have gotten worse if Sam, who everyone knew was not fond of vampires at all, had come to Eric for help. I sighed inwardly as I thought about the mess I would have to go home and deal with, and after everything I had been through the past two days I was really in no mood. I was really going to have to kick that maenad's ass for messing up my homecoming.

"Where is Sookie?" I asked. "Is she alright?"

Sam shrugged. "I thought she was with you."

"Well last I heard she was with Bill so hopefully she is safe… Have you seen my parents or brother at all?"

Sam looked flustered. "Actually honestly Chase I don't know...everyone is kind of…_everywhere_."

"Well Eric do you know anything about the maenad?" I asked looking to the tall Viking for answers. "Specifically how we can kill her?"

My voice broke off as those last words flowed out of my mouth. Since when did I start talking about killing so casually? First my own mother and now this maenad woman this was starting to be scarily too frequent for what I had planned for my life. This needed to change. Chase Morgan was not going to kill or be involved in the planning or taking action of killing anything ever again….after I helped kill the maenad. After turning the whole town into zombies and wreaking havoc she deserved to die.

"I have no knowledge of this maenad creature, although I suspect it's the bullheaded creature that passed through here not too long ago, right Pam?" Eric asked, one eyebrow arching as his head turned toward his head just slightly to hear Pam's response.

Pam huffed. "That _thing_ owes me a new pair of shoes."

"Bullheaded creature? You mean the thing that attacked Sookie?" I asked.

Eric nodded. "I believe so."

Oh she definitely deserved to die now. She had almost killed Sookie and who knows how many other people she had killed. She was an evil supernatural creature and apparently there was no reasoning with her, especially if Sam wanted to kill her as well.

"Connor, do you know anything of this maenad creature?" Eric asked, turning to my father who I had almost forgotten was still around. He was approaching us from the direction of the bathrooms which is where I assumed he had been.

"Maenad?" Connor straightened as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment, coming to a halt next to us before shaking his head. "No, I don't know anything about it actually," he answered with a soft shrug. "I haven't tangled with too many supernatural creatures aside from vampires and shifters and whatever your mother was," he finished looking at me.

Sam looked confused, looking from Connor to me and back. I took the opportunity to introduce him before Sam could ask. "Sam, this is my biological father, Connor Munroe. Connor this is my boss and friend, Sam Merlotte."

Sam extended a hand that Connor took and shook. "Nice to meet you," Sam said. "I didn't know you were adopted Chase."

I shrugged. "Yeah well neither did I until a week or so ago. It's been a real crazy time, but back to this maenad business. What about you, Eric? Do you know someone or not?" I asked turning to Eric impatiently.

"I do know someone who might be able to offer something useful," Eric said finally looking away thoughtfully. "_Might _be able to," he added looking at Sam, emphasizing the word 'might'. "You may go. I will contact you if I find something."

Sam sighed, but nodded. "Come on kids, let's get you back to Bon Temps," he called to Colby and Lisa making them rise out of their seat.

"Wait," I called making Sam halt as he pulled the entrance door open and Eric frowned. "Sam, I think I am going to come with you. Sookie asked me for help and-."

"No," Eric cut in before I could finish. Eric looked down at me with a serious expression, taking my arm carefully and pulling me back. I rolled my eyes. _Here we go. _"She will be staying here with me. You can go now shifter."

I frowned heavily as Sam looked at me as if to see if I agreed. I waved him off politely and he offered a weak smile before he and the kids headed out the door. I turned to Eric impatiently waiting for an explanation as to why he felt the need to keep me away from my town and friends that needed my help when Pam scoffed making me look at her.

"It smells like children in here," she spat. "Disgusting. I am going to go eat someone."

She walked past us quickly, her heels clicking loudly on the cement floor as she moved past us out the entrance door. Eric watched her exit with a smirk ignoring the sour look on my face. I was growing real tired of being bossed around and people treating me like a porcelain doll. I was going to have to put an end to it quickly. I was a grown woman and I could make my own decisions. I was tired of my parents and brother and now Connor and Eric trying to tell me what to do. I was going to establish my independence and let everyone know I was my own boss. Eric could protect me all he wanted, and I wasn't too naïve to think that I didn't need it, but it didn't mean he could boss me around. And now was the perfect time to let him know.

I crossed my arms and glared up at him. "I see you have returned to your old bossy vampire self," I said heatedly calling his attention to me.

"I am only concerned with your safety, Chase," Eric replied. "You need protection and I am going to protect you."

"Eric there is a difference between you 'protecting' me and bossing me around," I reasoned. "I am tired of people treating me like I am made of glass and telling me what to do."

Eric's face fell and I noticed Connor smirking out the corner of my eye which brought my attention to him. I had a bone to pick with him as well with my new found independent courage and I was going to deal with it right then. How dare he be smug about me telling Eric off when he was just as bossy as Eric was!

"Eric, I need to have a word with my father," I said as politely as possible. "Please do not leave until I get back."

Eric said nothing, his delectable lips sliding into a sly grin that made me frown at him. If he left without me getting to say my peace or going with him I was going to be furious. I took Connor by the arm leading him out of the entrance. I took him towards the alley that had once saved me and Ginger from being arrested by the cops and was hopefully far enough out of ear shot for prying vampire ears. Connor looked around confused once I finally stopped, one eyebrow arched impatiently as he waited for me to say something. I swallowed hard and mentally prepared myself for what I was about to say to him.

"Connor I think it's best if you go back home now."

His face fell.

"I know what you are going to say," I continued.

"Chase," he started shaking his head as he attempted to cut me off.

I held up a hand. "No. This whole mess with Charlotte is over and Eric is going to help deal with the maenad mess and as soon as it's over I am going to go back to leading a normal life as possible for someone like me in Bon Temps. I don't need you to stay and be my body guard. You can live your life too now. You don't have to worry about Charlotte trying to murder me. I want to keep in touch of course and maybe soon you can meet my adopted family, but for now go back to Dallas and don't worry about me. You heard Eric he is going to protect me and I am going to be alright. I will call as soon as this whole mess is over."

Connor looked extremely unsure; he still hadn't stopped shaking his head. "Chase, if-."

"No 'if's'. This is what I want. I hope that you can respect this," I said quickly trying to sound firm, but sincere.

Connor sighed heavily, his hands going to his hips as he scrutinized me with his deep glare. I knew he didn't want to go. I knew that he wanted to stay and protect me. But I was no longer going to do what everyone else wanted. I was going to do what Chase Morgan wanted. I was tired of being treated like I wasn't an adult. I was tired of having body guards. Eric was perfectly capable of protecting me and I didn't need Connor to stick around to do it. I was happy to have met him, I was happy to have him back in my life. I appreciated the sacrifices he had made for me and was willing to continue to make for me, but now it was time for me to live my life. I had nothing else to worry about-aside from the maenad dilemma- and I didn't need him there.

"Chase, every fiber in my being tells me that I need to stay here with you," Connor said solemnly. "Hell you got someone or thing where you live turning your town into zombies for crying out loud."

"And Eric and I are going to deal with it. I also need to learn to fend for myself. You guys aren't always going to be there, if I don't learn then I will never be able to protect myself. And if for some reason I can't Eric will be there to protect me."

"You can't control your powers! Hell you can't even use them completely with the bind," Connor retorted angrily. "How are you planning to protect yourself?"

I hesitated, finding a chink in the armor of my defense. He was right. I didn't know how to control my powers, and apparently the powers I already was using were just a miniscule amount breaking through a bind that was supposed to be strong enough to hold them all back. I would have to learn to control them if I truly wanted to need no protector. Or Connor would have to unbind them completely so that I could be at my full potential. But did I really want that? Did I truly want to embrace the witch/fae in me (and I still had no idea what the hell a fae was)?

"Unbind my powers then," I blurted quickly looking Connor in the eye. The words that had come out of my mouth surprised me. I hadn't even made up my own mind yet.

Connor's face fell and he shook his head furiously. "No, if you think you had problems now, it would only get worse, Chase. Supernatural creatures will be able to sense it. You will be in even more danger. And you were so powerful as a child, who knows what you will be able to do now. The bind actually is helping you."

"But if my powers are unbound then I will be able to protect myself right?"

"Yes, but you will also be an unlimited walking power source with extremely enticing magical blood-more enticing than it is now- and unable to control the power rushing through your veins," Connor finished.

I hesitated, that outcome really didn't sound very appealing. "Well teach me…" I countered. He knew how to control his powers. Obviously he knew some tips and tricks. I did pretty well at holding the power back when it welled up inside of me. I just needed to learn to control how and when and the amount of the power when I released it.

"I can't teach you in a matter of minutes, Chase. And if I removed the bind and you are unable to control it the magic will flow freely from you and you will expose yourself. You are more powerful than me. Actually I think you may be one of the most powerful creatures in existence, but I know how to control my powers. So until I can teach you how to use them and control them they should stay bound."

I ran a hand through my hair feeling overwhelmed. He was right. If this bind was supposed to be strong enough to keep me from using my powers at all and I was so powerful that some was seeping through then I didn't want to know what my full potential would be without said bind. Especially when I had no way of controlling it. And I definitely didn't want to put myself into even more danger by unleashing the power which would act as a neon sign to other supernatural beings saying, 'hey I'm an unlimited power source with awesome tasting and intoxicating blood, have at me!'

"Fine," I said after a moment of thought. "You are right."

Connor let out an exasperated sigh and crossed his arms. "I will go, Chase. Because it's what you want. And I want to respect you. I can sense you now so if you are in danger and _really_ need me I will come."

"Thank you for respecting what I want."

"And if you really want your powers unbound I can do that for you, but only when I have the time to teach you how to control them. You may be more powerful for me, but I know control."

"Okay."

An awkward silence hung in the air as Connor continued to stare at me, shaking his head softly. I knew there was a war waging in him, and if I was in his position I would probably feel the same. I went into Connor's arms, hugging him tightly, trying to let him know that I appreciated what he had done for me and that I loved him without having to say the words out loud. Him leaving was a good thing for me, I was gaining my independence. I was getting what I wanted. I could do this.

_I can do this_.

"You will call me when this maenad mess is over?" he asked.

"Yes of course I will," I agreed. "It will be nice to see you again when this is over."

Connor released me from the hug before placing his hands on my shoulders and bending a little as he looked me in the eye suddenly serious. I blinked taken aback by the sudden mood change, but remained quiet as I patiently waited for him to say something.

"Chase, I know that you trust, Eric," he started slowly and my stomach turned as I realized where this was going. "But remember that he is a vampire and by nature they are _evil_. Look at what one did to your mother. He may care about you, but it may not be for the reason you think. He seems like he is up to something. Be _careful_ around him, Chase."

I didn't know how to respond. I knew that I may not be able to change his mind about Eric and he couldn't change mine. I didn't want to think he was right. I had finally made up my mind about Eric and I wanted to be with him and I didn't want anything making me doubt that. So all I could do was nod my head and try to look sincere.

"I will."

Connor still seemed reluctant as he took a few steps back from me and looked around to make sure the coast was clear. "Goodbye Chase," he said reluctantly offering me a small wave.

I lifted my hand, waving if carefully. "See you soon," I said hopefully.

His eyes never left mine as he looked at me unsure and a white light burst around him. I lifted my hand to shield my eyes from the intensity of the light, until it dissipated. When I looked back to the spot where Connor had been seconds before, he was gone. I stood there for a moment trying to regain my composure, preparing myself to go and face Eric and give him a speech. I waited until I felt okay and turned, jumping when I found Eric standing right behind me.

"Jesus, Eric, you scared me," I said touching my pounding heart. "What are you doing out here?"

"Watching your father's departure," he responded casually as he clasped his hands behind his back.

"How much did you hear?" I asked softly.

"Nothing I arrived just after he had teleported out," Eric said.

I sighed inwardly happy that Eric hadn't heard Connor's warning against him or what would happen if my powers were unbound. I wasn't sure if I wanted him or anyone to know that just yet. "So when do we leave?" I asked changing the subject quickly.

Eric chuckled softly. "_We_?"

I crossed my arms. "Look Eric, you have two choices take me with you or I go to Bon Temps and deal with the maenad with Sookie and Sam and the others. I am not going to just sit here at Fangtasia twiddling my thumbs while my friends and family are in danger. So I come with you to help get information and you can keep an eye on me as well, or I go to Bon Temps and deal with the situation myself where you can't keep an eye on me."

One blonde eyebrow arched and an expression that could only be described as 'mild surprise' slid across his face. It was soon replaced with a smirk and his eyes darkened as he took a step closer to me. "I find this change in you quite attractive lover," Eric said heatedly making a pleasurable chill run down my spine.

I forced myself to stay focused on the situation as he attempted to distract me. "Which one is it going to be Eric?"

The smirk upon his face disappeared and was replaced with a menacingly serious glare. "Very well, lover. You will come with me, but you will not speak unless spoken too and you will act as if you are a mindless fang banger doing whatever I say and giving me no protest."

"Wait, what?" I said with a frown.

"It is for your own safety," Eric continued. "Trust me."

"Just where are we going?" I asked.

"To see the Queen."


	23. Deja Vue

A/N: Greetings readers! We are nearing the final chapter of Blood Lies. The next chapter is the last chapter and I am not sure if I will include Chase into that whole Maenad mess. It all seemed silly to me like a lot of stuff in this season. Either way here is the new chapter! Read it and enjoy it!

* * *

"We are going to see the queen?"

Eric nodded in response.

"The queen of what?"

"Louisiana, Chase," Eric answered irritably as if I should know.

I shook my head. I had dealt with enough vampire royalty for a lifetime after my run in with Dominic. I didn't want to see another vampire king or queen _ever _again. In fact I wanted to stay far away from vampires in general. Well except for Eric of course. If I smelt as delectable as every other vampire had mentioned then who was to say this queen, who probably thought she was entitled to anything and everything she desired, wouldn't want to 'taste' me. I was not going to put myself in that kind of situation again. I would just return to Bon Temps and deal with maenad situation with whatever Sookie was going on.

"Eric, I really don't think-."

Eric held up his hand making me fall silent. "A few things before we depart. I am aware that you do not want to be told what to do and are attempting to assert your independence and make your own choices; however if you are accompanying me you will not speak unless spoken to, and you will do anything and everything I say no matter _what_ it is."

My face fell. I definitely was not going now. "Eric-," I started again.

Eric raised a single long digit and held it to his supple lips signaling for me to be quiet as he cut me off. "I know that does not fall in line with making your own decisions, but it is for your own safety. I will also need to feed from you and you will need to drink my blood."

My frown deepened. "Why?"

"How am I supposed to make the queen believe that you are mine if we do not share a blood bond and you do not bear my mark," he reasoned. "I am planning to portray you as my personal lunchable on hand whenever I need to feed, and you smelling of my blood will not only confirm that, but also dilute the smell of your sweet blood for just a little while."

His reasoning was sound and if I still wanted to go with him I would have agreed. But I didn't. I wanted to go back to Bon Temps and hope that the maenad was much easier to deal with than another vampire queen.

"Okay, Eric, now listen to me," I said firmly.

"There's no time," He said with a single shake of his head. "Hold on to me tightly."

I didn't get the chance to ask what he meant or tell him that I didn't want to go anymore. In a vampire second I was in his arms wedding style and the wind was whipping against my face so hard that I couldn't breathe. My stomach did a vicious flop as we soared up into the air at an unknown speed and I could faintly hear myself screaming over the loud sound of the wind in my ears. I shut my mouth to stop the screaming and wrapped my arms around Eric's neck, pressing my face into the crook of it to shield my face from the onslaught of the air.

_We are flying! We are freaking flying? How in the hell can Eric fly?_

Eric's throat rumbled against my nose and I realized that he was laughing. At me! _That freaking jerk!_ I dug my fingers into the flesh of his neck in hopes that it would hurt him a little, I was too afraid to let go. I may have had abilities, but I didn't think flying was one of them. Eric only laughed harder. I frowned into his neck and hoped that we would reach our destination soon. My ears felt like they were going to explode from the pressure and all I could hear was the wind and high pitched ringing in my ears. _I am going to go deaf, damn him! _ I didn't know how much more I could take when my brain comprehended that we had slowed down and were descending back to earth. I continued holding onto Eric for dear life until I felt his feet meet the ground and all movement ceased.

Eric set me carefully on my feet, large hands hanging onto my hips to make sure I was steady. I was dizzy, a little nauseous, unsteady and deaf. I glared up at Eric with fury all over my face as he gazed down at me with a smug grin and amusement bright in his blue eyes. I opened my mouth to give him a serious piece of my mind when my ears popped painfully making me hiss loudly and cover them with my hands.

"Are you alright, lover?" Eric asked very softly, the smug grin still upon his face.

The good news was I wasn't deaf. The bad news was that I still was going to meet the queen. And Eric had just scared the crap out of me and found it hilarious. I rewarded him by hitting him as hard as I could on the arm, cursing loudly when pain erupted through my hand and shot up my arm.

"Dammit!" I growled. "No I am not alright. What I was TRYING to say back at Fangtasia before you took me on an unwanted flying adventure was that I DID NOT want to come with you!"

"Chase, you will need to relax and control yourself," Eric ordered, his demeanor going from amused to serious. He was still talking in an extremely low tone, almost a whisper. I had to lean forward to hear him. "We are just around the corner from the queens home and I as said before, for your safety you will not speak and you will do what I say."

"Or you can go in by yourself and I can stay here and wait," I said looking around the deserted road we had landed on. There was nothing but lush wooded areas surrounding the winding dark road. It was spooky, but I would brave it if it got me out of meeting the queen.

"Chase, I will not allow you to wait out here alone, you are coming with me and that is final," he whispered.

"I don't want to meet the queen, Eric!" I snapped in a whisper. Why the hell was I whispering now? "Why are we whispering?" I added putting my hands on my hips.

"Because the queen's guards hear everything," Eric answered.

"Well that's just great," I replied with an eye roll.

"There is no changing your mind now, Chase. We are here and we are running out of time to help your friends and before the dawn. Do we have an understanding of how you are to behave?" he asked arching one eyebrow.

I crossed my arms. "Yes, Eric. I'm a brainless fang banging lunchable. Anything else?"

"Yes, less attitude. Now come here."

He pulled me closer and wrapped one arm around my waist. The air around us shifted immediately as I tilted my head back and our eyes locked. Heat flooded me through me as my body was crushed against his and I almost forgot that I was angry with him. Eric's hand slid up my side, cupping my neck before moving to my hair and gripping it hard. He pulled my head back with a soft yet firm yank and a small cry escaped from my lips. My fingers wrapped around the lapels of his suit jacket and my eyes shut as his head dipped into the crook of my neck and I felt his nose against my skin. I stopped breathing when his lips touched the pulsing spot below my ear and my heart began to race.

"Don't worry lover," he breathed against my neck. "I won't take as much as I did the last time. We do not want another issue with miraculous and sudden humanity."

His fangs sunk into my flesh before I could give a response. It stung like hell. There was no getting used to this pain. It hurt just like all the other times, only this time there was no sexual pleasure to distract me from it. I gritted my teeth and gripped the material covering Eric's body tighter, holding back my cries of pain. Eric's arm tightened around my waist, drawing me closer to his body, and keeping me on my feet. My brain was beginning to fog from the loss of blood and the pain throbbed with each pull of his luscious mouth.

He withdrew from me with a low growl just as I began to feel I could take no more. His eyes locked with mine again as my blood dripped down from pearly white fangs. I stared up at him in a daze of wonderment, mesmerized by the fierceness of his gaze, completely forgetting what I was about to face. I was instantly reminded that even though he was gorgeous as a human, he was equally gorgeous and even sexier as a vampire. Everything about him breathed sex, pleasure, pain and lust, and everything in me called to that, wanting and needing it. His eyes never left mine as he released my long hair and brought his wrist to his lips, biting into his own flesh. Blood gushed against his lips and I couldn't help, but stare.

"Drink," he commanded as he pressed his wrist against my lips.

I didn't need telling twice. My lips closed over the wound and my mouth pulled at the blood. It flowed freely, creating fire and electricity in me that resonated in my mouth before exploding through the rest of me. Eric pulled his wrist away from me after a moment, and suddenly his mouth was on mine, mixing the taste of our blood. The kiss turned feverish as Eric hugged me even tighter and I moaned heatedly into his mouth. My blood boiled and skin tingled. Want consumed like fire and I returned Eric's kiss hungrily.

_How can he make everything so…._

He broke away from me with a wet _pop_ and stared down at me with lust filled eyes. I stood frozen and panting, my brain trying to come back down from the clouds to the real world.

"Forgive me lover," he said withdrawing from me completely and straightening his coat. "I forgot how strong these urges are. I momentarily lost control. As much as I would love to take you, here and now is obviously not the time. Let's go."

He moved past me without another word and I stood there, shaken and aroused, trying to compose myself. It took a long moment. I needed my heart to slow down and a chance to catch my breath which Eric stole with his mind numbing kiss. I wiped my lips unconsciously, trying to remove the taste and feel of him, hoping it would stop the turbulent arousal roaring through me, but it did nothing.

"Get it together, Chase, now is neither the time nor the place," I mumbled to myself as I turned on my heel and followed Eric down the dark street.

By the time I caught up with him he had appeared to regain his composure and had a determined look upon his face. I was still dealing with the fire now rushing through me and the electric feeling of consuming his blood. My heart hadn't stopped pounding and I could feel fear creeping up into me. What if the queen of Louisiana was close friends with Dominic and his wife, didn't vampires like to stick together? Especially royal vampires? What if they knew already Dominic was dead? What if Annabelle was at the queen's house? What if-.

"Chase, stop it," Eric said halting his steps and turning to me again. "Your emotions are overwhelming even me."

That's right. We were bonded again. He could sense my emotions. I took a deep breath. It didn't help.

"I will not let anything happen to you," Eric assured again.

He didn't say anything else only continued on his way down the road. In the distance I could see the hulking house that was the queen's mansion. From what I could tell it was white. It was also surrounded by high lush green bushes. The road curved as we walked and as we came around the bend the large gated entrance to the queen's mansion appeared. Two large men wearing dark suits stood in front of them, both in the same stance, both wearing sunglasses, both looking extremely stern. Eric didn't seem intimidated by them as he strode toward them purposefully. I hung back, my heart rate increasing and my palms starting to sweat. I could feel the energy begin to swell within me and I struggled to hold it back.

_You are nothing but a fang banger. You are not a powerful half witch half fae with some of the most intoxicating and delicious blood in the world that can turn a vampire into a human for a day. Act as such, _I told myself. _You are going to survive this._

"Mr. Northman," one of the guards greeted with a short nod of the head.

Eric nodded in return and the gate opened slowly behind him. This obviously wasn't Eric's first trip to the queen and clearly he had status. I kept my head down as I followed him through the gates and up the stoned path to the queen's front door. There were two more guards at this door meeting the same criteria as the others. One guard stepped forward as Eric approached, breaking formation as he held up a hand. Eric paused in his walk, raising an eyebrow at the guard.

"The queen is in her day room," the guard explained. "She asks that you go around the mansion to the back."

Eric didn't give a response or acknowledgment, only rotated on his heel and strolled toward the side of the mansion beckoning me with a quick wave of his hand. I continued to keep my head down and a tight hold on the energy that was threatening to burst from me. I could not panic. I didn't need too. Eric was with me. There was no reason too.

"Eric."

The familiar voice held so much contempt as it uttered the name, my eyes snapped up quickly catching sight of the pale brown haired vampire coming out the queen's day room. Bill didn't look happy to see Eric at all, while Eric seemed amused by Bill's presence. They stopped near each other, me behind Eric. Tension rose in the air immediately and Eric's antics at Godric's house came to the forefront of my brain reminding of just why Eric and Sookie both hated Eric. He had tricked Sookie into drinking his blood. I forced that memory away as I felt a twinge of anger touch my own emotions. That was the past and I wasn't going to relive it. Eric had his own reasons for doing everything. He had asked me to trust him and after everything he had done for me the past few days and what he said he was willing to do in the future I had no reason to not trust him now. At least thats what I wanted to believe.

_He does not want Sookie. He does not want Sookie._

"Hello Bill," I offered with a wave and a small smile, hoping to ease the overwhelmingly thick tension in the air between him and Bill.

Bill turned dark eyes on me and smiled genuinely before nodding graciously. "Good evening, Chase. It is good to see that you are well. Sookie has been worried," he said softly. The genuine smile was replaced with a painfully forced one as Bill's attention turned to Eric. "What are you doing here, Eric?"

I rolled my eyes. _Here we go…._

"Hoping that the queen knows how to kick a maenad's ass," Eric replied with a smirk as he smoothed a few stray strands of wind whipped blonde highlighted hair.

"Now why on earth would you want to do that?" Bill asked with a scrutinizing glare. "So that you can look like a hero to Sookie?"

My stomach made a violent turn as I looked to Eric waiting for a response. Was he doing this for Sookie? _No, Chase, we have squashed this already. You love him. Don't do this to yourself anymore. _But I couldn't shake the sense of self doubt that washed over me. I would always be insecure until I knew the utter truth. I needed to know why Eric wanted me and to protect me so badly. I hoped that it was because he was in love with me the way that I was in love with him. But deep down inside the dark spot that I tried to suppress I knew that he must have some feelings for Sookie, or at least he cared for her. Maybe not to the same intensity that he cared for me, but I knew he did. Could I live with that?

Eric didn't seem to concerned with me as his blue eyes blazed and glared down at Bill. "Has she…mentioned me?" Eric asked playfully, his voice almost a whisper.

I felt the energy in me spike as the anger did as well. I couldn't believe his nerve! But what could I expect he was a vampire again and he was _Eric. _Being a stubborn, arrogant, obnoxious jerk must have been in his blood. The self-doubt was enveloping me now and as much as I tried to shake it I couldn't.

"No," Bill snapped. "And that was really quite desperate of you, tricking her into drinking her blood so she would become attracted to you?"

My fists clenched as the image of Sookie sucking on Eric's chest popped into my mind.

Eric stepped closer to Bill and I realized that I was no longer in either of their minds. They were both too concerned with their own petty fight over Sookie. _Damn you Sookie!_

"Unlike you who fed her your own blood the very night you met?" Eric countered, one eyebrow arching as a smug smile spread across his lips.

Bill's face fell and I could tell he was seething. "How do you know that?"

I looked to Eric puzzle. Yes how in the hell did he know that? Was he keeping tabs on Sookie?

A dark sense of realization came over me. I asked with a frown. "Are you keeping tabs on Sookie?"

Eric ignored me. "So you aren't denying it?" Eric interrogated further.

"I was saving her life!" Bill growled.

"Isn't that convenient?" Eric replied.

Bill stepped closer to Eric, apparently not intimidated by Eric's height. "You stay away from Sookie, Eric. Or I will tell the queen you are forcing humans to sell vampire blood," he threatened.

Both my face and my stomach dropped. "You are doing what?" I said loudly before I could stop myself.

Bill and Eric both turned to me in surprise as if they had forgotten that I was there. Anger rolled through me like a wildfire and the energy swelled within me threatening to break free of the hold I had on it. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I already doubted him about his lack of feelings for Sookie, apparently he was keeping tabs on her which just made my doubt in him even worse, but to find out he was forcing humans to sell vampire blood when he had kidnapped Lafayette and imprisoned and tortured him for the doing just that, was too much to add.

"You kidnapped and tortured Lafayette for doing just that, claiming it's a great offense to vampires, and now I find out you are _forcing _people to do it?" I questioned angrily.

"Chase, keep your voice down," Eric answered quietly.

"No!" I snapped. "And even further more you were or are keeping tabs on Sookie?"

"That is none of your concern, Chase," Eric replied softly.

My face fell even further if it was possible. _None of my concern? None of my concern? _Once again Eric had pushed me to my limits. Every time I started to believe that I could trust him, that I could be with him and love him just as he was, something came to light to make me falter and change my mind. It was one lie after another. One secret after another. This felt like deja vue. Hadnt we just gone through this?

"I can't believe you Eric," I said looking into his eyes as he stared at me with a frown upon his gorgeous face. "Every time I think that…" I broke off shaking my head.

It was pointless. I was wasting my breath. Eric was always going to be Eric. He was never going to change. He had been this way for over a thousand years. I had, had enough. I didn't want to do this anymore. I didn't want to fight. I didn't want to yell. I didn't want to explode with energy. I had already resolved myself to be a new and different independent Chase. And new and different Chase was done with the lies and secrets. As much I loved Eric, as much as he ignited a passion and desire in me like no other, new and different Chase didn't want to be lied to anymore, she didn't want to be left in the dark, she didn't want to lie in his arms at night and wonder if he was wishing that she was Sookie instead. And she didn't think that Eric could be truthful and honest with her, that he would keep her in the light, and that she was the only one he wanted. She was done giving him chances just for them to backfire in her face.

"Bill," I said softly turning my attention to him as I left Eric hanging on my last words. "Will you please escort me back to Bon Temps? I would like to go home now."

Bill seemed taken aback by the request, his eyes shifting to Eric and back to me. "Of course Chase. I do not mind at all," he replied after a hesitant moment.

Eric still stood staring at me blankly. He didn't say a word. And that hurt almost as much as the realization that he and I just couldn't be. I turned away from him, unable to bear the sight of him anymore. I felt Bill come up beside me as my eyes watered.

"Chase."

It was Eric's voice. Soft and withdrawn. I couldn't turn around. I just couldn't. But I stopped walking. I waited for him to say something; to explain himself; to ask me to stay; to make things right. And most of all to tell me he loved me as much as I loved him and that I _was _the only one he wanted. But it was just silence; loud and deafening silence. And that was the last straw for me, placing the final nail into the coffin that housed the last chance I was willing to give Eric Northman.

"I'm ready to go Bill," I whispered.

Bill placed a comforting hand on my arm for the briefest of seconds before he ushered me toward the front of the mansion. I wiped at my eyes and lead the way, determined not to look back.

"I don't like threats Bill Compton," Eric called, as if he needed to get the last word in.

Bill paused. "Neither do I. And I will not follow through with the previous threat as long as you never come near Sookie again."

Bill placed a hand on the small of my back lightly as we strolled away, leaving Eric behind.


	24. The End

_A/N: Greetings readers! Here is the final chapter of Blood Lies. And I am going to be perfectly honest I hate this chapter. I don't think I wrote it well at all, but I rewrote it about 4 times and this is the result. Writing Chase into the maenad mess was just painful, but it had to be done. I glossed over some parts and I may have gotten some things wrong so forgive me. Anywho enjoy it if you can and let me know what you think!_

* * *

"Bill this is crazy!"

"It is the only way, Chase. Maryann has Sookie and Sam is what she wants. Just have some faith. The plan will work," Bill responded irritably.

"She is going to kill him, Bill!"

"I am aware of that Chase!"

"And you don't care?"

"I care; I just have a plan to remedy the death part of the situation."

"You still haven't even told me how you plan to kill her!"

"Well in order for the second part of the plan to work, the first part needs to be completed."

"That tells me nothing, Bill!"

"That means do your part to help complete the first part of the plan, Chase."

"Sam, this is madness, please tell me you aren't going to go through with this?" I pleaded as I followed behind them.

"Chase, Bill is right," Sam replied reluctantly with a sigh looking over his shoulder at me. "We are just going to have to trust him."

I growled in frustration. "Sookie isn't going to like this plan at all either, Bill."

"I am also aware of that Chase, but just like you, she is going to have to deal with it."

We were approaching Sookie's house fast and I wasn't happy about Bill's plan. He had filled me in on everything he knew about the maenad so far, what had happened while I was away and some of his plan, on the way back to Bon Temps. When we met up with Sam, he had also been less enthused about Bill's plan, but upon learning that Sookie was in trouble he immediately agreed. Yet another man willing to do anything for Sookie Stackhouse.

"Oh Jesus Christ," Sam muttered in an odd mixture of aggravation and awe.

I looked up and felt my eyes widen at the sight. Nearly every resident of Bon Temps was on Sookie's front lawn, dancing, kissing, or rolling around in the grass. Some of them were barely clothed, while others were in formal dress. Weird music was playing loudly, with a tribal and animalistic tone. But this wasn't the most shocking part of the whole sight; it was the giant statue that they were dancing around. It looked as if it were made of wood and, judging by the smell, raw meat. I stopped walking as I stared down at the scene.

"What the hell is this?" I asked aloud.

"This is Maryann's doing," Sam replied shaking his head sadly. "They all are under her control. They do whatever she says."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"I told you things had gotten crazy," Sam said placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah but I didn't think it was…_this_ crazy," I mumbled.

"Are you two ready?" Bill asked impatiently. "Sookie is still in the maenads clutches, the longer we wait the more harm that can come to her."

"I'm ready," Sam answered, his hands clenching into fists.

"I'm not," I answered truthfully. I was beginning to wish that I hadn't come back to Bon Temps. I didn't want to deal with this craziness. But Sookie needed me. _Sookie always needs something…_the dark part of my mind thought bitterly. I shook my head to toss the thought away quickly. I was not going to turn on Sookie now. She had done nothing wrong.

"Chase, you remember what you are to do?" Bill questioned, ignoring the fact that I had said I wasn't ready.

"You are going to let the maenad take Sam and then I will distract her after she kills him so that you can heal him."

"I suggest that you distract the maenad by destroying her offering to her god," Bill advised pointing to the large structure in front Sookie's house.

"Got it….any chance we can come up with a different plan?"

Bill shook his head. He almost looked apologetic. I looked to Sam who was staring down at Sookie's house with a face full of anguish. I still couldn't believe he was going to go through with this. Even though Bill did promise that everything was going to work out and that he could heal Sam. I had a little faith in Bill, but still it was a lot for Sam to risk, it was his _life _after all. There were too many 'what if's' involved. What if Bill's plan did not work? What if Bill didn't get to him in time? What if this was the last time I would ever see Sam again? Sam was not just my boss, he was my friend as well and I cared about him. Without him I could have died when Rene attacked Sookie and me. And he had given me a job knowing very little about me, when I really needed it. I had a lot to thank him for. And I was sure that I would miss him if he were gone.

"Let's get this over with," Sam grumbled as he stepped forward.

"Wait!" I yelled a little too loudly. There was so much emotion in my voice and I felt as if I was going to cry. Sam and Bill turned to me in surprise as I jumped into Sam's arms hugging him tightly. I felt him tense in my grasp, but relax after a second. His arms came around me, pressing my body into his as he buried his face into the crook of my neck. My eyes watered and my vision blurred at the thought of what he was about to do.

"Sam…I know we haven't know each other for a long time, but…I value you as a friend and if things go wrong…" my voice faltered, breaking off as a single tear escaped my eye falling down my cheek. I couldn't say goodbye. I didn't want to. I didn't even want to go through with this.

I felt Sam's hand in my hair and I pulled my head back to look him in the eye. His face was sincere as always, and his eyes held regret. He reached up and wiped away the tear that had escaped carefully, his thumb lingering as he caressed my cheek. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"Sam, don't do this," I whispered. "We can find another way."

"It's going to be okay, Chase," he replied softly. "I promise."

It was an empty promise. And just from his voice, I could hear that he didn't believe it. My fingers clenched in the material of his shirt as he kissed my forehead, his lips also lingering for a moment before he pulled away and left me standing there, striding quickly toward Sookie's house. I sighed and wiped the tears away from my eyes before turning to catch Bill gazing at me. He didn't say a word, only stepped past me catching up to Sam quickly, leaving me to follow.

"Chase, stay close," Bill ordered softly over his shoulder. "These people are not in their right mind and will harm you without thinking twice."

It surprised me that Bill even cared, but I moved to his side as ordered. The stench intensified as we neared the crowd and I almost felt sick to my stomach. Familiar faces turned to stare at us as we approached, wide and creepy smiles spread across their faces. I jumped at the sight of their eyes, moving closer to Bill on instinct as I saw that they were completely pitch black. Fear crept up my spine as a few people moved closer to us, hands reaching out as their smiles widened. I grabbed on Bill's jacket as the energy began to swarm within me. I kept a tight hold on it. I didn't want to hurt anyone, but if it came down to them or me I would. I didn't think my body would give me a choice.

"Chase!"

I jumped at the call of my name and let out a small scream as someone swept me up into their arms. I was twirled through the air as the person holding me laughed gleefully before being set back on my feet. A mouth was on mine next kissing me feverishly before I shoved hard against the chest pressed against me and looked to find that it was Jason Stackhouse. His eyes were as black as the night and he was wearing the same creepy smile as everyone else.

"Jason," I breathed as I wiped my mouth. He had tasted like liquor and some other foul taste that I didn't want to guess.

"Gosh Chase am I happy to see you here, let's fuck," he said pulling me tighter against him.

_Whoa!_ "Uh Jason-," I pushed against his chest as I looked over at Bill who was holding Sam as if he was some prisoner. I raised my eyebrows at him as if to say _help me!_

Jason began tugging at my clothes, his mouth going to my neck just as Bill yanked me from his arms. Jason turned to him angrily. "Hey fanger!"

Bill put a protective arm in front of me. "Go and tell your maenad that I have brought her offering!" He commanded loudly to Jason, grabbing hold of Sam once again.

Jason's face fell as he looked to Sam, his smile returned in seconds and he turned to Andy who jumped up and down eagerly. I frowned as I noticed he was pant less. _Oh god_. They went running for the house as everyone else began to cheer. I felt uneasy as I watched them, every single one of them happy and joyous about the fact that this maenad was happy to kill Sam. Sam may not have been liked by everyone, but I didn't think anyone of these people were capable of or wanted to kill Sam. It was all the maenad's fault. She was doing this to them. It made me angry. She had turned my hometown into a mad house, had made my friends zombies to her spell, and planned to kill Sam. She did deserve to die. The energy in me swelled at the thought.

The atmosphere of the group shifted and people began to move hurriedly, some of them forming a large group in front of Maryann's statue offering while others stood near it, pulling out instruments as they began to play 'Bridal Chorus'. I looked to the porch as I heard the screen door creak open and frowned when I saw Arlene skipping merrily down the steps with Jane Boathouse and Tara, holding a large egg, and Lafayette, who was holding a bull mask, following after. They all wore white dresses and their eyes were black. Sookie came next, also wearing a white dress, and struggling against the hold that Jason had on her. Her eyes went wide when she saw Sam, Bill, and I and she struggled harder. I moved forward on instinct, but was stopped by Bill's outstretched arm.

"Remember the plan, Chase," he whispered.

I frowned and gritted my teeth. I didn't like the plan. I didn't want to follow the plan. But I kept my mouth shut. The plan was the only plan we had. The band began to play louder as Maryann stepped out of the house, wearing a beautiful wedding dress, and a floral head band. She smiled at all of her followers as she stepped down the stairs and the energy in me swarmed with a vengeance. My fists clenched as I tried to keep it contained. God if it was this hard holding in the 'miniscule' amount of power seeping through the bond I could hardly imagine what it would be like to unbind my powers and reach my full potential. I didn't think I could control it. _Good call Connor_, I thought as I made a mental note to thank him again the next time I saw him.

"Maenad!" Bill yelled loudly over the music as he pushed Sam forward.

Sookie frowned when she saw Bill dragging Sam forward. "Bill, what the hell are you doing?"

"I have your sacrifice!" Bill continued ignoring Sookie.

Maryann's smile widened and she looked full of joy. "Oh my sweet vessel."

"I offer him in exchange for Sookie!" Bill finished.

"No! She will kill him!" Sookie cried, struggling harder against Jason's hold. She looked to me frantically. "Chase! Stop him! He can't let her take Sam!"

_God Sookie you don't know how much I want too!_ My thoughts screamed, wishing for once that she could read my mind. I didn't want any part of this. I wanted to stop him, but I stood there with a blank face, attempting not to give anything anyway. That was the plan. I couldn't let the maenad know Bill had a trick up his sleeve, and right now that trick was me.

"Take her to the dead man, she has served her purpose," Maryann called, nodding at Bill.

Jason obliged immediately, dragging Sookie to Bill as she screamed in protest. She struggled against Bill as he handed Sam over to Egg's and took Sookie in his arms. She kicked and screamed, fighting against him as she grasped onto Sam's arm desperately trying to pull him back to her.

"No! They are going to kill him! Chase, help me! We can't let them do this!" Sookie screamed looking at me desperately.

"I'm sorry," Bill said holding Sookie tightly as she attempted to flee from him. "This is the only way!"

Sookie turned brown eyes full of fury upon me. "I can't believe you Chase!" she snapped at me. "She is going to kill him and you are just going to watch!"

I ignored her. It was the only thing I could do.

"Get them out of here!" Sam yelled angrily at Bill. "I won't have them watch me die."

The crowd laughed and cheered as Maryann approached Sam, caressing his face with one hand gently, her dark eyes looking up at him gratefully.

"This is what your vampire source told you to do, to give up Sam?" Sookie snapped looking at Bill.

"Sookie you are just going to have to trust us," Bill replied through clenched teeth as he looked down at her.

Sookie frowned up at Bill, halting her struggles before looking at me. I nodded in hopes to assure her that Bill had a plan. "Trust us," I repeated. She looked as if she didn't believe us, but didn't continue her struggles. Things went silent around us as Maryann spoke.

"Let us call forth our god," she said loudly, raising her arms slowly.

Behind her, Lafayette placed the bull head upon the statue. It made it look even creepier. "The god with horns!" Lafayette yelled as if it were an introduction. "Worship him bitches!"

I would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. Maryann's zombies immediately bent down to their knees in worship, making sounds of awe as Sookie, Bill and I watched in shock. _This can't be happening,_ I thought to myself. First vampires come out, and then I learn witches exist, and now maenads are taking over the town.

"Now for the sacrificial egg," Maryann continued.

Tara hopped to her feet carefully, taking the egg to the statue. She placed it into an opening on the statue which prompted Maryann to continue with her ceremony. "Hail Dionysus!" She yelled throwing her head back. Everyone chanted after her, repeating her words. "Bacchus. Bromios. Eleutherios. Dendrites. All these names are yours, our bull horned god. Upon this day of our marriage our offering symbolizes the birth of our god. When he was a child, the jealous titans ripped him to shreds, eating all but his heart. And his last piece was saved by his sister, Palace Athena."

Sookie and I shared a glance. Maryann was clearly bat shit crazy. _This _is what this had all been about? She wanted to marry a _god? _Maryann had continued her speech as I was lost in thought and I was snapped out of it when I heard Sam's muffled cries. I looked up to find him being carried into the crowd on a stretched made of wood, all his limbs tied down and his mouth gagged with a white cloth. He looked around in a panic as he writhed against his bonds. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him and I had to resist the urge to run to him.

Sookie began thrashing against Bill again. "No! Sam!"

They placed Sam's stretcher upright, leaning it against a wooden holder as Maryann advanced to him slowly. "Oh at last," she sighed longingly. "Oh at long long last." Her eyes moved to the sky. "He is yours my lord." Maryann turned to a zombified Egg's, who held a silver platter out to her. She reached for the object on it carefully and held it up, revealing it to be a knife. I could see Sam's eyes go wide and I felt my body tense, the energy threatening to break free from my hold.

"You are lucky, Sam. So many people wish to have their lives mean something. And so few get to realize it," Maryann said sincerely.

"Come on do it!" Terry called from where he stood in the crowd.

"Do it!" Arlene yelled in agreement. The rest of the crowd followed in cheering and encouragement.

"Sam, use your gift!" Sookie pleaded attempting to rush forward. Bill and I stopped her.

Bill grabbed her tightly, wrenching her from my grasp as he hugged her to his chest. I could hear his soft whisper. "Sookie, use yours," he prompted.

Time seemed to slow down as I watched Egg's moved to stand in front of Sam, and raise the knife Maryann had just been hold. He didn't hesitate before he plunged the knife into Sam's chest, wiggling it slightly as Sam gargled against his gag. I felt something stab into my heart as well and I looked away quickly, wiping at my eyes. I heard Sookie's screeching voice as she bellowed Sam's name in grief, falling down to her knees. I couldn't move. I was frozen.

"Bring me the blood," Maryann demanded.

Egg's withdrew the knife from Sam and turned towards Maryann. I looked to Bill for orders, my eyebrows going up as if to ask 'Now?' Sam needed healing and now would be the opportune time to distract Maryann; Sam wasn't going to last much longer. I frowned when Bill shook his head, my face setting into a scowl as I looked back to find Maryann letting out exaggerated moans as she rubbed Sam's blood on her neck.

"Oh yes!" she cried loudly, looking as if she were nearing an emotional breakdown. "Yes, he is the vessel. He is the vessel that shall unite us my lord."

"Sam!" Sookie called and Bill finally released her, allowing her to rush forward to Sam.

Bill turned to me, grabbing my arm and leaning toward me. "Now, Chase."

My body was moving before my brain had even really registered what Bill had said. I couldn't waste time. Sam needed healing; I needed to do the distracting. I moved through the crowd, shoving people out of my way. I reached the statue and jumped up to the nest in the center of it, retrieving the egg and throwing it as hard as I could at the ground. I heard shocked gasps as it cracked and spilled its contents in the dirt, but I ignored them and thrust my body against the statue attempting to knock it down and hoping that Maryann had noticed like everyone else. The statue didn't give as I put my body weight against it; it was sturdier than I had thought. I was pushing on it when someone came up beside me and I looked to see that it was Sookie. She was pushing along with me, her face scrunched with the effort. I felt the energy swelling inside me as I struggled to knock the statue over, I was just about to unleash it when I saw a light erupt from Sookie's palms and the statue tipped over almost taking me with it. I quickly found my footing and stood there panting, looking at Sookie in shock.

_What the-_

"How dare you destroy my offering?" I jumped, turning to find Maryann staring at me and Sookie angrily. She looked on the verge of tears as she rushed forward, staring down at the fallen statue offering. "Lord Dionysus, forgive me," she whimpered looking at the skies.

She pivoted, facing the crowd as malice crossed her face and she stared furiously at shocked faces of the people under her spell. "Allow me to sacrifice all of them for you," she growled through clenched teeth.

Maryann began to vibrate, her whole body shaking, like she was dancing in vampire speed. I had no idea what she was doing to everyone else, but it had no effect on me or Sookie. Anguished screams filled the air and everyone affected sank to the ground in pain.

Sookie ran to Tara's side, holding her. "Stop it!" she shouted at Maryann in a pleading tone. "You are hurting them!"

Maryann stopped suddenly, looking at Sookie wrathfully. "You brought this upon everyone," she snapped in a demonic voice.

_Uh oh._

Maryann dove forward, shoving her hands into the loose dirt beneath her. I could hear her growling from where I stood, but I was frozen, unable to move. I watched in astonishment as she withdrew her hands from the earth slowly, revealing that they had somehow morphed into large three finger claws with huge talons. I remembered the damage those claws had done to Sookie's back and how she had almost died from the poison alone.

"Sookie run!" I shouted looking at her.

Maryann turned to me at the sound of my voice, her face full of rage. She rushed me and my body acted on instinct before my mind could even think of something to do. The energy exploded out of me like a shock wave sending Maryann flying backwards into the crowd of her still stunned followers. I was instantly dizzy and my legs wobbled under my weight, forcing me to my knees. I was on all fours, trying to recover from the sudden weakness of using my powers when I felt warm hands on me.

"Chase, get up dammit!" It was Sookie's voice loud in my ears, trying to pull me to my feet. "Come on we have to go."

I shook my head and forced myself to my feet, hanging on to Sookie until I found my own sense of stability. I could see Maryann recovering from where she had landed, looking dazed, confused, and angry as hell. She managed to get to her feet before setting eyes on Sookie and I. Panic hit me immediately and I took off running, pulling Sookie behind me. It was like deja vue all over again. It seemed like only yesterday that Sookie and I were running through the woods trying to escape a murderer, only this time it was night, and the murderer happened to be a supernatural creature with large poisonous claws. I for one did not want to die choking on my own vomit as the poison paralyzed me.

I risked looking over my shoulder and let out a loud scream when I saw that Maryann was not far behind Sookie and I. She was close, nearly within arm's reach. My heart thudded in fear and I willed my body to move faster, but she was fast. I heard a cry from Sookie and suddenly I was on the ground with a painful thud. I rolled onto my back quickly, looking up to find Maryann standing over Sookie and me, poised to strike. I screamed loudly scooting backward on my hands as I attempted to drag Sookie with me when a loud animal cry filled the air making Maryann halt. I continued moving backward as Maryann stared off into the distance distracted. I didn't know what was distracting Maryann, but I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to get Sookie and I out of there. I finally got to my feet, yanking her along with me and running.

"Chase! Wait!" Sookie yelled, pulling on my arm to make me stop.

I paused reluctantly and looked to see what Sookie was stopping me for. Maryann had walked off into the distance, approaching a large long horned white bull. She ran her hand down his snout and I could hear the sound of her voice, but not what she was saying. Maryann stepped backward as she raised her arms upward, opening them as if she were ready to accept a hug.

"Is that the god?" Sookie asked me. "Did he really come?"

I shrugged unable to take my eyes off the bull. "I…I don't know…"

"It can't be right…I mean…her god doesn't exist…" Sookie continued incredulously.

Maryann remained motionless in front of the bull, her arms outstretched waiting to embraced, consumed, mated with, I really had no idea. I wasn't really in the mood to stay or find out either. If this bull really was her god then that meant Sookie and I were on its shit list too.

"Sookie we should really get-Oh!"

I screamed as the bull's head bowed and its horn plunged into Maryann's chest. She cried out but didn't fight, only gazed down at the bull in surprise. _What the hell?_ Black blood gushed from the wound in Maryann's spilling onto the ground before her. The air shifted around the bull and suddenly it was Sam standing there, with his arm still in Maryann's chest. He withdrew it quickly, revealing her blackened still beating heart in his palm. He looked at her determinedly as she stared at him in amazement, no doubt wondering how she had been fooled. Sam crushed the heart in his palm and simultaneously Maryann's skin shriveled to her bones; it disappeared leaving her a gray skeleton with hair and a wedding dress, before it crumpled to the ground.

Realization hit me as my brain put the pieces together. This had been Bill's plan all along. I was to distract Maryann so that he could heal Sam and have him return as Maryann's bull god, leaving her vulnerable for an attack. I felt a smile playing at my lips. I had to hand it to Bill. It was a good plan, extremely risky and crazy, but good.

"Sam!" Sookie yelled before leaving my side and rushing into his arms. I followed after her, stopping to stare down at what was left of Maryann. "He killed you!"

"No," Sam sighed, panting for air as if he was winded. "Almost."

In the distance I could see Bill stumbling towards us, holding his wrist. Sookie released Sam and rushed to Bill cradling him in her arms while Sam went to retrieve his lost clothes.

"Chase?"

I looked up to find that it was Jason approaching me with Tara at his side. Their eyes had returned to normal and they looked confused and frightened at the same time. They slowed down as the noticed Maryann laying at my feet, their eyes widening.

"Holy fuck!" Jason gasped stopping beside me. "We got her?"

I nodded.

Tara rushed into Sookie's arms. "Do you remember anything?" Sookie asked.

Tara shook her head, she looked so scared. It was unusual to see her this way when normally she was so tough. "No, it was bad wasn't it?"

_Bad is an understatement. You guys had a party and killed, Sam. _My thought was full of sarcasm.

"Bill, get rid of the body. Bury it, I don't care where, just get it out of here," Sookie ordered. "Sam, Jason, help everyone get home."

Jason hesitated. "Well…aint you gone tell me what happened?"

"Not. Now," Sookie growled through clenched teeth. She seemed flustered. "Just…get everyone off my lawn."

Everyone moved to follow Sookie's orders as she turned to me, coming forward and wrapping me in a hug. "Gosh Chase I was so worried about you. And I am sorry about getting angry with you over, Sam. I just…didn't know you and Bill had a plan," she breathed into my hair.

I shook my head withdrawing from her. "It's okay…"

"Are you alright?" she asked pulling back and looking me in the eye. "What happened in Dallas?"

I sighed. "It's way too much to tell right now I just want to get home and-," my face fell at the thought of home as I remembered my parents and Isaac. "Shit! I have to go Sookie I need to find my parents and make sure they are alright. I will call you later alright!"

I didn't wait to see her response as I took off running back towards Sookie's house. Most of the crowd was dispersing, although some people still lingered looking dazed and confused. I looked around carefully, but didn't see my parents or Isaac anywhere. I checked inside Sookie's house, which was a disaster, and circled the house a few times. I still couldn't find them anywhere. I set off away from Sookie's down the road that would lead to my house. It would be a long walk, but I had to get home to make sure they were alright and I had lost my cellphone so I couldn't call. I would need to buy a new one.

I heard the rumble of an engine and turned to see Jason's black truck pulling coming to a stop beside me. He wasn't alone in the car; Arlene, Terry, and Jane Boathouse were with him. Jason leaned over Terry as he rolled down the window.

"Chase, where are you going?"

"Home, I need to check on my parents," I answered.

"Well get in," he said as he unlocked the doors. "I'll give you a ride it aint safe out here."

My heart almost burst with joy as I pulled opened the car door and climbed into the back with Jane and Arlene. Arlene smiled weakly at me before averting her eyes and Jane looked at me sadly. She had been crying and my face fell as she held up her hand showing me that she was missing a finger.

"I lost my finger," she whined holding up the dismembered digit.

I blinked unsure of what to say. "Oh... I'm sorry?"

Jason dropped me off first thankfully since my house was the closest. I said goodbye and thanked him for the ride before jumping out of the car and running for my front door. My house appeared to be untouched and it looked as if all the lights were out. I retrieved the key from under the potted plant on my porch and unlocked the door.

"Mom! Dad! Isaac!" I called as I swung my front door open.

I was met with darkness that made me hesitate. I flicked on the lights quickly and found my house neat and clean just like my mother would leave it, but my parents and Isaac were clearly not there. I could feel how empty it felt just from standing in the doorway. I went for the phone next, leaning against the kitchen wall as I dialed my mother's cell. It rang six times before my mother's voice answered sleepily.

"Hello?"

"Mom? Where are you?" I asked hurriedly.

"Chase?" she replied sounding confused.

"Yes, mom, it's me. Are you and Dad alright? Is Isaac with you?"

"Yes, Chase we are all fine. Didn't you get my message?"

I sighed in relief and ran a hand through my hair. My pounding heart finally began to relax. "No, I didn't get the message. My cell…broke…where are you?"

"We are back in Austin, honey. You know that big tree in the Johnsons yard next door? Well Greg attempted to cut it down himself and it fell right into our backyard and clipped the house! It's such a mess, Chase. Your father and I had to come home to deal with it and we brought Isaac because we didn't want him hobbling around on his own trying to care for himself."

_Oh thank god. _

"Chase, are you alright? It's really late, dear. And you sound…weird," Mary said apprehensively.

_You have no idea what I have been through these past few days. _"I'm fine, mom," I lied. "I'm sorry for calling so late. I just got home and I didn't have my cell so I didn't know that you had gone back to Austin. I was worried."

"Well we didn't mean to worry you dear. How was your trip? Did you…find out anything?" she asked cautiously.

_I found out much more than I wanted to know. _"Yes, I did. But we can talk about it another time when it's not so late, mom," I said softly.

"Okay dear, we will be back in Bon Temps as soon as we can."

I hesitated, twirling the cord to the receiver in my fingers. I didn't want them to come back. Living with my parents and brother was not a part of new and independent Chase's plan. I shut my eyes and let out a slow breath, I knew my next words would break my mother's heart.

"Mom…I think it's best if you and dad and Isaac stay in Austin."

I heard Mary's breath hitch. "Oh Chase you know how your father and I feel about you living there alone."

"Mom, I am an adult. I will be okay. I need to learn how to make it on my own and I don't want you and dad worrying. I will be fine," I urged. Even though I wasn't going to have Eric around to protect me anymore it didn't mean that I didn't want to find my own independence. I wanted to live on my own and make my own decisions. I would just have to ask Connor to unbind my powers and teach me how to control them so I could fend for myself in case a situation arose where I was in danger. But new and different Chase didn't plan to be in any more danger any time soon. She had, had enough for a life time.

"Chase, you have changed so much since you moved away from home," she said sadly. I could imagine her shaking her head as she said it, her brown eyes full of worry. "We just want you to be okay. We worry about you."

"Well don't," I said trying to keep the bite out of my tone. "I am going to be fine. Okay?"

_I can take care of myself._

"If this is what you really want, Chase," she sounded so hesitant and full of worry. "Promise me that you will take care of yourself and stay out of trouble and away from vampires."

_Trust me that will be no problem. I am done with vampires, specifically Eric Northman. _"I will, mom. I will let you get back to bed. Don't stress too much about the tree. I will call you tomorrow."

"Okay, Chase," Mary replied reluctantly. "I love you, goodnight."

"I love you too."

I hung up the phone and slid down the wall, landing on my butt as I put my head in my hands. I had done it. I had survived Dallas, my psychotic biological mother, Dominic, and now the maenad. And I had lost Eric in the process. With nothing to distract me the giant gaping hole in my heart came to the forefront of my brain and I felt tears stinging my eyes. Why couldn't he just tell me the truth? Why couldn't he just love me?

I threw my head back and wiped at my eyes. I was done crying. I was done being hurt. I was going to move on even if it killed me. I could protect myself, or at least learn how, and I could forget about Eric and find someone new.

Everything was going to be fine.

* * *

Merlotte's was busy. Far more busier than I had expected it to be when Sam called me to ask me to come in for a shift the next morning. He had opened even though I didn't think he would and many people seemed to appreciate it. The running story was that there was some sort of gas leak which had made everyone go crazy and explained why everyone was experiencing memory loss. I could hear people's different conspiracy theories as I took their orders and served them their food and all I could do was laugh, because I knew the truth, and these people didn't know how lucky they really were to not know the truth.

I was relieved when five o' clock rolled around and my shift ended. I was exhausted and ready to go home and relax. I hadn't slept much after everything and I welcomed the idea of going to bed early. I retrieved my things from Sam's office, said my goodbyes to everyone and headed out the door, stopping when I saw Sookie heading my way. She looked concerned about something as she carried a large white box, but she smiled when she saw me.

"Hey Chase, you heading' home?"

I nodded. "Yes, I am in need of some sleep…what's with the box?"

Sookie turned red and her smile widened. "It's from Bill. It's a dress he wants me to wear on our date tonight."

"That's so sweet," I gushed.

Sookie nodded, shifting the box under her arm as her face dropped slightly. "How are things with you and Eric? Is he…'back to his old self'? You still haven't told me what happened in Dallas."

"Eric is a vampire again if that's what you mean and things between him and I aren't good at all. In fact he and I are done. For good. I just want to move on and a have a normal relationship with a living person," I sighed. I purposefully left out what happened in Dallas. I wasn't ready to tell her what had happened just yet. Although she and I did have a lot to talk about like the freaky light coming from her hand. Now just wasn't the time. I honestly just didn't want to talk about it.

Sookie seemed taken aback, but nodded. "Oh okay…well I am sorry and I am sure you will find someone more worthy of you than Eric Northman," Sookie replied touching my arm. "You really are a great person, Chase."

"Thank you, Sookie," I said feeling a genuine smile creep onto my face.

"Well I better get back inside before Sam rings my neck," Sookie chuckled. "I will see ya later okay?"

I nodded and waved her off heading for my car. I went home eagerly and ran myself a bath, sinking into the tub full of hot water and bubbles and forcing myself to relax and bask in how amazing it felt. I stayed in the tub for almost an hour before I climbed out and redressed myself in my pajamas. I crawled into bed with a hefty sigh, burying myself into my pillows and covers as I drifted off to sleep.

The phone woke me hours later, snapping me out the blissful darkness that had consumed my brain. I sat up groggily and rolled out of bed, trudging down the hallway to the kitchen. I snatched the phone off its cradle and answered with a yawn.

"Hello?"

"Chase, its Sookie," I could hear the sound of her distress immediately.

_Oh god, what now?_

"Sookie, what's wrong?" I asked suddenly awake.

"It's Bill, he's been kidnapped."

"What? When?"

"Tonight we were having dinner and I went to the bathroom and came back and he was gone!"

"Okay Sook, calm down, did you call the police?"

"Yes, but they are no help! Chase please you have to help me find him!"

I pulled the phone away from my ear and sighed so that Sookie couldn't hear me. This was not part of the plan. This was staying out of danger. I wanted to just crawl back into bed. "Where are you?" I asked putting the phone back to my ear.

"I am on my way to Bill's can you meet me there?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes Sookie I am on my way."

I hung up before she could give a response, shaking my head as I headed to my bedroom to change. I pulled on some jeans and a tank and slid on my tennis shoes as I grabbed my keys and headed for my front door. I swung the door open and stepped out pulling the door shut to lock it.

"Oh good you have saved me the trouble of drawing you out," a cold female voice sneered.

I froze instantly, a chill running down my spine as I looked over my shoulder slowly to see Annabelle standing on my porch, leaning casually against the railing. My heart stopped in my chest and I heard my keys drop to the porch. Annabelle smirked as my face fell and her fangs unsheathed with a click.

"Now I am going to give you one chance and one chance only to answer me truthfully before I rip you to shreds in front of your ugly little house," she said viciously as she took careful steps towards me.

I pressed myself into the wall of my house behind me as my heart began to pound.

"Where is my husband?"


End file.
